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31 May, 2014

'The Cause Is Us': World On Verge Of Sixth Extinction
By Andrea Germanos

A new study showing that the human activity has driven current rates of species extinction to 1,000 times faster than the natural rate is "alarming" and "should be a clarion call" to work towards greater conservation efforts, an environmental group charges. The study, published Thursday by the journal Science and led by conservation expert Stuart Pimm, also warns that without drastic action, the sixth mass extinction could be imminent

Climate Impact Fuelling South Sudan War, Says Minister
By Sophie Yeo

Climate change is exacerbating the civil war in South Sudan , according to the country's environment minister, Deng Deng Hoc Yai. He warned that the environmental damage caused by global warming was increasing the suffering that war was already causing in the strife-ridden country, worsening food shortages and building pressure on urban areas

Prospects For Eco-Socialism
By Saral Sarkar

Are there indications today that give us hope that the majority of the people of the world or of some countries would in the near future embrace eco-socialism and transform their capitalist society to an eco-socialist one? It is a question worth reflecting upon because, as the world situation is today, it cannot go on like this for long

The Lethality of Nuclear Weapons
By Steven Starr

The need is dire for the president of the US, Russia, or China to state in a highly public forum that the existence of nuclear weapons creates the possibility of their use and that their use in war would likely mean human extinction. As nuclear war has no winners, the weapons should be banned and destroyed before they destroy all of us

“Force Protection Alpha in Effect” –Coming To A Town Near You
By Brian Terrell

In a new documentary film released in Europe, “Drone,” former Air Force drone operators, veterans of a super-secret Squadron 17 at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, reveal that “it’s always been the Air Force that flies” the CIA’s missions, “the CIA might be the customer, but the Air Force has always flown it.”

Syrians Working To Preserve Jewish Cultural Heritage
By Franklin Lamb

This observer was served tea one day by some members of the Jewish community in the old City of Damascus, including my friend Saul, who claims to be the last Jewish tailor in Syria, as well as the lovely elderly ladies known as ‘the Jewish sisters’ and whose apartment is near where St. Paul, according to tradition, converted to Christianity. The view expressed by my hosts that day—and I believe them—is that Jewish cultural heritage in Syria is being respected, protected and preserved with the same care as Muslim, Christian, and pagan antiquities

So, You Need Pictures To Believe That Rape Happens?
By Farzana Versey

Have you been awakened yet? Have your eyes dropped out from their sockets as you saw the pictures of the girls hanging from a tree? Are you done with discovering poetry in the limbs of the branches and the scent of the soil, the mango fruit that would now lack lusciousness?

The Lesser Known But More Horrible American Holocaust
By Sukumaran C. V.

From the U. S., a land from which the native inhabitants have completely been disinherited and eliminated through violence by the white settlers the so called civilised race, let's come to Kerala to witness somewhat the same fate of another native people —the adivasis of Kerala .None of their arable lands is now in their possession and all their fruit and tuber yielding hills have been encroached and deforested. They dwell in the periphery of our democracy as outcasts or rather as an eyesore to the mainstream ‘WE' the ‘civilised' and ‘civilising' people. Even the mass death of their infants due to malnutrition is used to gain political mileage! In the arena of the political mud-slinging they are used just as the mud and that is their utility

30 May, 2014

US Economy Contracted By 1 Percent In First Three Months Of 2014
By Andre Damon

The US economy contracted at an annualized rate of one percent in the first quarter of 2014, the first time the economy shrank since 2011, according to revised figures for the gross domestic product (GDP) published Thursday by the Commerce Department. The figures reflect the fact that nearly six years after the 2008 financial meltdown, the US economy remains mired in stagnation and slump. Behind the booming stock market and record corporate profits and CEO pay, daily life for broad sections of the population is dominated by unemployment, falling wages and growing poverty

Historic Syrian Election Brings Multitudes of Voters
By Brenda Heard

On the 28th May 2014, expatriated Syrian nationals in numerous countries flocked to Syrian embassies to begin the voting process in a presidential election. With all its potential flaws, perhaps even inherent flaws, this quintessential element of democracy is still the most effective means of finding consensus. As the saying goes, you can't please all the people all the time. Thus elections provide an opportunity for peaceful compromise. But to work, democracy requires participation

Forget The Propaganda From Big Agritech, The Key To Reducing Poverty
And Ensuring Food Security Lies With Small Farmers
By Colin Todhunter

A new review carried out by the organization GRAIN reveals that small farms produce most of the world’s food. However, they are currently squeezed onto less than a quarter of the world’s farmland. The world is fast losing farms and farmers through the concentration of land into the hands of the rich and powerful. If we do nothing to reverse this trend, the world will lose its capacity to feed itself.

Review: V. J. McGill on Russell's Critique of Marxism
By Thomas Riggins

In "The Philosophy of Bertrand Russell" volume in the Library of Living Philosophers (!944) V.J. McGill (1897-1977) published a detailed critique of Russell's political and economic philosophy. Russell was not pleased and made short shrift of professor McGill's efforts in his "Replies to Criticisms". Russell dismisses McGill's contribution as dealing with material "lying wholly outside philosophy" and says, in effect, he won't even bother to argue against McGill's positions as it would be "futile." Seventy years later in retrospect we might agree with Russell that his efforts to refute McGill would have been "futile." But why would they have been? This review will attempt to answer that question by showing McGill's critique was essentially correct and Russell simply wished to dodge the issues McGill raised

Abrogation Of Article 370 Not Possible
By Justice Rajindar Sachar

BJP president Rajnath Singh has called for a debate on why Article 370 of the Constitution should not be abrogated. One wishes he had sought this enlightenment before including the provocative item of abrogation of Article 370 in the BJP election manifesto

Article 370 And Instrument Of Merger
By Abdul Majid Zargar

It is a historical reality that Kashmir did not sign any instrument of merger with New-Delhi because it could not do so due to the disputed tag attached to it and UN resolutions still awaiting implementation. So in absence of this instrument , Article 370 was conceived as a Governing mechanism by Union of India with word “temporary” prefixed to it to avoid international censure. Now in case this article is abolished, the Governing mechanism disappears & India will be left with only an instrument of accession in hand, on whose veracity many historians, including Dr. Abdul Ahad ( Kashmir-Triumphs & Tragedies) have expressed serious doubts

Women Of The World: Unite!
By Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava

India is sad today. The ghastly killing of two teenage dalit girls really horrify the society. The more saddening point is that policemen are involved in this inhuman act. Facts emerge that girls were alive when they were hanged, diseased father says if timely help would have arrived, his daughters could have been saved

Why Feminism Confuses Me
By Srestha Banerjee

Well I was expecting some shamed profile pictures, some out raged comments and demands for candle light vigils in the social media the last two days. But alas the social media did not live up to my expectations. The gangrape of two dalit girls in rural Uttar Pradesh possibly failed to stoke the heightened anger and the deep sympathy of the urban mass

Does V.D Savarkar's Portrait Deserve To Be Hanged And Eulogized In The Parliament?
By Shamsul Islam

On May 28, 2014 Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi and his ministers turned up to pay tributes to ‘Veer’ Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. It is astonishing. This ‘Veer’ submitted not one but five (in 1911, 1913, 1914, 1918 & 1920) mercy petitions to the British rulers. The two comprehensive one of 1914 and 1920 are being reproduced so that real character of ‘Veer’ Savarkar is known by all

Citizens Report on Governance and Development 2013
Book Review By Prof Kuldeep Mathur

National Social Watch in this volume entitled “Citizens’ Report on Governance and Development 2013” has put together very useful public information about governing institutions that can help the citizens to raise issues about their functioning and help in framing much needed reforms. There is not only wealth of information but competent analysis of policies that are being framed

29 May, 2014

Demise Of Dollar: Is It Coming?
By Countercurrents

There are increasing discussions about end of dollar-hegemony. Many experts assume: Demise of dollar is inevitable, and the dollar's downward trend is gradually becoming visible.It is now being told by many that Russia and China 's steps to get rid the US dollar of its global reserve currency status is an early sign of the “increasingly inevitable” crisis

The Status Of Jerusalem
By Prof Francis Boyle

You do not expressly agree to negotiate with your adversary over “your”, “sole”, “undivided”, “eternal” “capital” if it is really yours! The time has long past for Israel to put aside its relentless rhetoric and propaganda about Jerusalem, and negotiate in good faith with the Provisional Government of the state of Palestine over the ultimate disposition of Jerusalem. The Palestinians have repeatedly demonstrated their will for peace. So far, the Israeli government has only demonstrated its will to power. But when it comes to Jerusalem—Jews, Muslims, and Christians: “Can’t we all get along?” I sincerely believe we can

Haftar Leads A Coup: A General’s Odd War on The Muslim Brotherhood
By Ramzy Baroud

On 16 May, Libya’s rogue general Khalifa Haftar staged several bloody attacks against other Libyan militias in the name of eradicating terrorism by leading a paramilitary force evasively named the Libyan National Army. His well-equipped brigades were rapidly joined by officers from national army bases in the eastern parts of the country. Units from the air force also joined in, along with tribal gunmen and other militias, particularly the strong and notorious Zintan militia. The well-coordinated attacks, named Operation Karama, or Dignity, resulted in heavy casualties

Papal Tour A Fizzer
By Vacy Vlazna

When I was a kid we had fun letting off firecrackers. Most had quite an impact - going off with a mighty bang. A few were weak, feeble and fizzled out. We called them ‘fizzers'. The pope's tour was a fence-sitting fizzer for truth and for Palestinian justice

The New York Times And Obama's Afghanistan Draw Down:
Selling The Never-Ending War on Terror
By Steve Breyman

"Mr. Obama," Landler tells us, "said the withdrawal of combat troops from Afghanistan would free up resources to confront an emerging terrorist threat stretching from the Middle East to Africa." Obama is unable to simply 'end a war;' the end of one war must segue smoothly into the escalation of others. And that appears perfectly reasonable to Mark Landler, and the New York Times

Afghan Elections: Pick Your Poison
By David Swanson

No human being wants to be ruled by their people's murderers. Forgiveness through restorative justice may be possible, but being ruled by murderers is asking for too much. Yet, that seems to be the Hobson's choice behind the Afghan presidential election, which is into its run-off between Dr. Abdullah / Mohaqiq's team and Dr. Ashraf Ghani / General Dostum's team, neither team having won more than 50% of balloted votes in the first round

The Iconisation Of Savarkar
By Subhash Gatade

Perhaps neither Modi nor any of his cabinet colleagues, most of whom started their social political life in the RSS or Rashtra Sevika Samity ( which is meant for women of the Hindutva brigade), would like to remember today that they are singing paens to the man who when alive had castigated the Hedgewars-Gurujis' - founders and pioneers of RSS - and their Swaymsevaks umpteen times and the Hedgewars'-Golwalkars' had also returned the compliment in the same vein

Gujarat: Politics of “Development” or Politics of “Erasures”?
By Mitul Baruah

What is being popularized as a politics of “development” by the Modi supporters can be instead read as a politics of “erasures”. If there is a “Gujarat model”, it is about erasing ecologies, traditional livelihoods, social fabric, and, above all, certain histories. Finally, with the Sangh Parivar’s well-known stand on the questions of ‘Uniform Civil Code’, ‘Article 370’, and ‘Hindu Rashtra’, there is enough reason to fear that the very defining characteristic of India – its “diversity” – may soon be a thing of the past

Expulsion Of Indian Journalists: A Retrograde Step By Pakistan
By Ravi Nitesh

Recent expulsion through not extending visa of two Indian journalists, is now another back step by Pakistan. The reasons are still unknown

28 May, 2014

The Impossibility Of Growth Demands A New Economic System
By George Monbiot

To succeed is to destroy ourselves. To fail is to destroy ourselves. That is the bind we have created. Ignore if you must climate change, biodiversity collapse, the depletion of water, soil, minerals, oil; even if all these issues were miraculously to vanish, the mathematics of compound growth make continuity impossible

From Global To Local In India
By Alex Jensen

Alternatives India is a platform to highlight, connect, and thereby strengthen the country's diverse profusion of local initiatives that are charting a saner course into the future for India. Perhaps the future of India is not fast and faster after all, but slow and local

'Time Running Out', Warns UN As CO2 Level Hits New High
By Countercurrents

Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have crossed a new threshold, warned World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UN's weather agency on May 26, 2014 . The WMO warning highlighted the urgency of curbing manmade, climate-altering greenhouse gases. In April, for the first time, the mean monthly CO2 concentration in the atmosphere topped 400 parts per million (ppm) throughout the northern hemisphere, which pollutes more than the south, said the WMO

Gruesome Atrocities By Ukraine Armed Forces Emerge
By Countercurrents

Italian journalist torn to pieces, grenade attack on truck with wounded, ambulance fired, air strike, residential areas shelled, about 40 dead

Most US Drone Strikes In Pakistan Hit Homes, Finds A New Research
By Countercurrents

Domestic buildings have been hit by drone strikes more than any other type of target in the CIA's 10-year campaign in the tribal regions of northern Pakistan , finds a new research by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ). The research finds: More than 61% (three-fifths) of all drone strikes in Pakistan targeted domestic buildings, with at least 132 houses destroyed in more than 380 strikes. Its finding says: At least 222 civilians are estimated to be among the 1,500 or more persons killed in attacks on such buildings

UN Decries Water As Weapon Of War In Military Conflicts
By Thalif Deen

The United Nations, which is trying to help resolve the widespread shortage of water in the developing world, is faced with a growing new problem: the use of water as a weapon of war in ongoing conflicts. The most recent examples are largely in the Middle East and Africa including Iraq, Egypt, Israel (where supplies to the occupied territories have been shut off) and Botswana

What You Can Do To Assure Net Neutrality
By Kevin Zeese

Does Tom Wheeler Really Not Get It or Is He Saying One Thing and Doing Another?

Climate Change: Chickens Coming Home To Roost
By Mickey Z.

Here’s a small sample of how the global animal-agriculture industry (factory farming, the meat/dairy-based diet, etc.) impacts our shared ecosystem: It consumes and poisons one-third of the planet’s land surface; it directly contributes to topsoil depletion, deforestation, overfishing, species extinction, etc.; and it is the top source of human-created greenhouse gases which translates into climate change. Based on this incomplete list of food-based eco-devastation, it should seem painfully obvious that something must be done about this situation

Why Mohan Bhagwat Did Not Attend Modi’s Swearing In ceremony?
By Nagesh Chaudhary

Bhagwat by not attending the swearing in ceremony of Modi proved that he is above the Prime Minister. The RSS chief cannot take inferior position to the Prime Minister. Obviously, there could not have higher seating arrangement for the RSS chief at this function. This is the real reason behind Bhagwat’s absenting

Indian Railways: A Journey Of Inequality
By Arindam Majumder

India was a country that was stratified on the basis of caste and religion. After independence it adorned itself with a ‘top-dressing’ called democracy and remained unequal now on the basis of wealth. This form of economic inequality demarcates the nation’s primary mode of transport- The Railways

Systematic Betrayal Of Nehru’s Ideals
By Vidya Bhushan Rawath

We remember Jawahar Lal Nehru on his 50th death anniversary yesterday on May 27th, the man who crafted India into a secular socialist democratic republic. It is tragic that generation which has born years after Nehru is vilifying him for the values that India is known for and is appreciated

HRD Ministry And Issue Of Right Selection
By Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava

We from academic world request Prime Minister that he must take notice of all the realities of the education sector of the country. He can bring an experienced and knowledgeable person as the head of HRD ministry. There are many great academicians in the country. Prof Yashpal. Prof. Saropi, the current VC of JNU Dr. A K Verma of CSJM University and so many are there in the country who can be selected as expert. Political positions too need experts. We must not forget

27 May, 2014

U.S. Wars In The Middle East: A New Age Of Hydro-Imperialism
By Garikai Chengu

Water is to the twenty-first century what oil was to the twentieth century: the commodity that determines the wealth and stability of nations. People who think that the West’s interventions in Iraq, Libya and Syria are only about oil are mistaken. Broadly speaking, Western interest in the Middle East is becoming increasingly about a commodity more precious than oil, namely water

We Are The Soil
By Vandana Shiva

The Save our Soils (SOS) movement, of which I am a patron, has been started by many organisations including FAO, IFOAM, Nature and More, to wake humanity to the soil emergency, which is also a human emergency. We need to measure human progress not on the basis of how much cement buried the soil, but how much soil was reclaimed and liberated. This is what “saugandh mujhe is mitti ki” should mean. Living seeds and living soils are the foundation of living and lasting societies

GMO Crops: Boon To Humanity Or Reckless Science?
By Tom Mysiewicz

Tom Mysiewicz is a biotechnologist. In this article he shares with us his conclusions about the dangers of GMO crops

Thomas Paine A Contemporary? Perhaps Chris Hedges Has Key To An American Spring
By Cully Downer

We need to demand democracy first.... not just for US citizens but all people of the world. This would if it was genuine coincidentally reduce the rapacious ravaging of the planet and vastly improve conditions for indigenous people and the poor of the world

Is A Rich Gentile Capitalist Any Better Than A Jewish One?
By John Spritzler

If we single out only Rich Jews as the problem, we will lose. Why? Two reasons. First, we will lose the support of millions of people, such as Walmart employees, whose oppressor is not Jewish: they will perceive us as being allied with (or at least having no problem with) the capitalist who oppresses and exploits them. Second, we will also lose because we will wrongly believe that Gentile billionaires are our friends, and this will enable these billionaires to gain influence over our movement to make sure it never poses any real challenge to class inequality or to the fake democracy that enforces it. Those who tell us that our only foe is Rich Jews (or Zionists) are weakening, not strengthening, the movement for genuine democracy and equality

Can NaMo Do A Harper ? Yesterday Mahel Arar, Today Akshardham Six!
By Subhash Gatade

While he assumes office as PM to 'script a glorious future for India' with eyes firmly set in the future for him the Akshardham attack and its aftermath are definitely a thing of the past but for all the innocent Akshardham six - it is still part of their present and would continue to cast its shadows over their future.As one of them put it very succinctly, for them the acquittal was “mere release from prison" they know very well that " justice had been buried at every moment in these 11 years”

BJP Victory: A Blessing In Disguise For Muslims!?
By Khalid Kamal Rumi

The next 5 years might be a very gainful period for the Muslim community where it learns to stand on its feet, and rebuilds itself like all proud and respectful communities of the world do. It could challenge itself to be self-reliant, and brace for a healthy competition with its compatriots in all secular spheres of life where merit trumps affiliation

26 May, 2014

Billionaire Oligarch Declared Winner In Ukraine Elections
By Thomas Gaist

Oligarch Petro Poroshenko was declared the winner of presidential elections held in Ukraine on Sunday. According to exit polls, the billionaire pro-European Union “chocolate king” had about 56 percent of the vote, far ahead of fellow oligarch and former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko. The aim of the poll was to provide a semblance of political legitimacy to the right-wing regime installed three months ago with US and EU support, and backed by fascistic forces. Wide sections of the population boycotted the elections, particularly in the east and the south, where many polling stations were closed. The poll was conducted under conditions of mounting violence and intimidation directed at opponents of the Kiev government

Defying Israel, Pope Prays At 'Apartheid Wall'
By Lauren McCauley

During his historic trip to Bethlehem on Sunday, Pope Francis made waves after taking a surprise detour to pray at the wall separating Palestine from the state of Israel. The stop at the barrier, also known as the "apartheid wall," was made on the second day of the pontiff's Middle East visit after touring Jordan on Saturday

The Pope At The Apartheid Wall
By Mazin Qumsiyeh

The children of Al-Rowwad from Aida Refugee Camp delivered a message to the Pope when he stopped to pray at the apartheid and annexation wall. They emphasized prisoners plight and the right to return home. This impromptu stop was in my opinion the most memorable part of the Pontiff's visit to Bethlehem

Palestinian Christians Need A Political Pope Too
By Jonathan Cook

The Pope noted in Jordan on Saturday that religious freedom was a “fundamental human right”. That is certainly a message Israel’s leadership needed to hear stressed when Francis met them today. A papal visit that eschews politics to focus only on religion – elevating holy sites above the people who live next to them – betrays a Christian community that needs all the help it can get as it fights for its continuing place in the Holy Land

Global Warming: A Terrible Reminder
By Sukumaran C. V.

Another World Environment Day is around the corner and it is high time the humans, who have triggered the dangerous phenomenon called Climate Change or Global Warming, earnestly switched over to a sustainable way of living in order to reverse the process of Global Warming, if we want to sustain an inhabitable earth and if we don’t want to be wiped out by the Wrath of the Elements

The Urgent Need For Renewable Energy
By John Scales Avery

These considerations point to a fight that will have to be fought by the people of the world who are concerned about the long-term future of human civilization and the biosphere, against the vested interests of our oligarchic rulers. This fight will require wide public discussion of the dangers of runaway climate change. At present, our corporate-controlled mass media refuse to touch the subject. So the battle will have to be fought in the alternative media

Asia Peace Pivot, From Jeju And Afghanistan
By Dr Hakim

The Afghan Peace Volunteers have begun playing their tiny part in promoting non-violence and serving fellow Afghans in Kabul. As they connect the dots of inequality, global warming and wars, they long to build relationships across all borders, under the same blue sky, in order to save themselves, the earth and humanity

Slavery, Human Trafficking, And Forced Labor More Profitable Than Oil or Finance
By Countercurrents

The oil trade and the financial service sector are widely considered to be some of the most profitable industries in the world, but modern slavery generates even more profits according to a UN report. The report by the UN's International Labour Office (ILO), “Profits And Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labor”, found global profits from exploiting a forced labor force of around 20.9 million people worldwide generates $150.2 billion per year

The Internet-Divide: 60% of World's Population Still Doesn't Have Internet
By Countercurrents

The Internet-divide is very much alive. About 4.2 billion people, 60% of the world population, still don't have internet, said a UN report. The recently released UN report says nearly 3 billion people will have access to the Internet by the end of 2014. Two-thirds of these users will be coming from the developing world, and that the number of mobile-broadband subscriptions will reach 2.3 billion globally. Fifty-five per cent of these subscriptions are expected to be in the developing world

Italy Is Facing The Most Serious Economic Crisis Since The Postwar Period
By Francis Allenby

The current Italian political and economic situation is the most serious since the last postwar. According to ISTAT, the National Institute of Statistics, the deficit / GDP of this year has been estimated at a rate of 3%. The rate of unemployment in Italy, relative to March 2014, was 12.7% . The concentration of family poverty, relative to the end of 2012, was 17.3 %, with the highest peak in the South (18%). Families arriving to the end of the month with difficulty or great difficulty, in 2008 , reached a total of 37.8 %, with the highest peak in the South (49.1%) and in the isles of Sardinia and Sicily (51, 9 % ). These figures are alarming, but not enough to give an idea of the real situation in the Country

Whom Should We Honor On Memorial Day?
By A D Hemming

Wars the USA fought against the indigenous people largely dishonor the whole concept of fighting against militarism and imperialism and also seem to put the whole idea of military power being superior to civil power back into the picture while adding the the madness in later years of genocide and this is especially true in the last third of the 19th Century. No honor in this in the least!

New Environmentalists Taking Bold Actions and Its Working
By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers

The Fight For Environmental Justice Broadens, Deepens & Becomes More Militant

Modi And Indo - Pak Engagement
By Abdul Majid Zargar

I hope I am not exuding excessive optimism, when I say that Modi’s gesture of inviting Nawaz Sharief to his swearing ceremony on 26th May is his first right step to put the Indo-Pak relations back on track . The intention to tag this invitation with other SARRC leaders, seems to deny the event an undue hype & cause to raise expectations

India's Election Results: A Case Of Distorted Democracy?
By Dr. Peter Custers

Will the election outcome lead to a further deterioration in the interreligious atmosphere? How will it affect the Hindu-Muslim divide? It is middle class aspirations in favour of maximum growth and ‘development’ that have pimarily driven these elections

Memorialize US Military’s Worldwide Genocidal Crimes Against Humanity Awaiting Special Trial
By Jay Janson

It’s now the 2022. During the last eight years the economic, political, military balance of power has shifted. Emerging economies led by China, India, and Brazil have the greatest productivity and financial growth.With the dollar ceasing to be the world’s trading currency,the US lost ability to print new money to cover debts and threaten sanctions. A reconstituted UN has set up a special court to try US & NATO for genocide

25 May, 2014

Climate Crisis: There Is Still Hope
By Countercurrents

There is still hope despite the overwhelming climate crisis. The hope is there even if a world-wide climate accord proves to be unattainable. A new report shows that regional measures can hold the global rise in temperature within the two-degree limit. "A number of analyses have already shown that the rise in temperature can be kept to within two degrees through a global quota market. This could be the parachute that Earth so urgently requires, but we are still far from reaching the agreement that is needed for it to be implemented," says Bjørn Bakken of SINTEF -- the largest independent research organization in Scandinavia

Saudis Accused Of Deleting Part Of UN Climate Science Report
By Ed King

A coalition led by Saudi Arabia attempted to mask their contribution to rising levels of greenhouse gas emissions during discussions at the UN's most recent climate science meeting. That's the charge laid by John Broome, a British philosopher and economist at Oxford University , and contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fifth Assessment Report

The Bahamas Wants To Know The Reasons Of NSA Recording Its Phone Calls
By Countercurrents

The Bahamas government officials want their US counterparts to explain why the National Security Agency (NSA) has been intercepting and recording every cell phone call taking place on the island nation

US Collecting All Cell Phone Calls In Afghanistan
By Thomas Gaist

WikiLeaks on Friday revealed that the US has been surveilling all cell phone conversations in Afghanistan as part of its SOMALGET mass data collection program. SOMALGET is one component of a broader NSA effort, including a program called MYSTIC, which collect communications data in Mexico, Kenya, the Philippines, Iraq and elsewhere

Guatemala : Impunity With Genocide
By Amnesty International

The fight for justice for victims of crimes against humanity and genocide, from Guatemala 's past conflict is being seriously undermined, Amnesty International said today.  A year ago today Guatemala 's Constitutional Court annulled the conviction of former President General Efraín Ríos Montt for crimes against humanity and genocide committed in the 1980s. Since then key judicial figures have been replaced or sanctioned, and resolutions passed that further erode the chances of victims of the past conflict seeing justice

Russia’s Rise To Global Power
By Paul Craig Roberts

Russia can rise to power with the East. There is no reason for Russia to beg the West for acceptance. The basis for US foreign policy are the Brzezinski and Wolfowitz doctrines, which state that Washington must prevent the rise of Russia. Washington has no good will toward Russia and will hamper Russia at every opportunity. As long as Washington controls Europe, Russia has no prospects of being a part of the West, unless Russia becomes Washington’s puppet state, like Germany, Britain, and France

The Three Laws of Pentagon Robotics
By David Swanson

The Pentagon has instead hired a bunch of philosophy professors from leading U.S. universities to tell them how to make robots murder people morally and ethically

The Illegality Of NATO
By John Scales Avery

Do the people of Europe really want to participate in the madness of aggression against Russia? Of course not! What about European leaders? Why don't they follow the will of the people and free Europe from bondage to the United States? Have our leaders been bribed? Or have they been blackmailed through personal secrets, discovered by the long arm of NSA spying?

The Fate Of (Secular) India 50 Years After Jawaharlal Nehru
By Sukumaran C. V.

We failed to inculcate a secular culture. In the name of secularism we allowed religions to meddle with politics. As a result in the 50th death anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, the greatest secularist India has ever seen, ‘secular’ India stands swerved decisively towards the Hindutva Right which will be detrimental to the future of our secular democracy

It's Time To Save The Black Spotted Turtle
By Marianne Furtado de Nazareth

The attractive and rather riveting spotted visage of the Black Spotted Turtle( Geoclemys hamiltonii )may well be its downfall. The demand for them has shot up in the exotic pet market, and also for its meat and for the dodgy alternate medicine market as well. This has been found by TRAFFIC's (The wildlife trade monitoring network) research paper, which pins the sudden rise in demand to all these various reasons

24 May, 2014

Worldwide March Against Monsanto
By Countercurrents

A global event challenging the agricultural behemoth Monsanto’s efforts to dominate the world food supply is taking place across the globe as millions of anti-GMO activists join forces against the biotech giant. More than 400 cities will march against Monsanto

Marching Against Monsanto Is Marching For Freedom And Democracy
By Vandana Shiva

We seek Seed Freedom, Food Freedom, and Earth Democracy, where all beings on the planet are free and the well being of all is protected, through sharing and caring, through love and compassion, through creating abundance for all. The greed and violence of one corporation cannot be allowed to destroy life on Earth, the lives of our farmers, the lives of our children. That is why we March Against Monsanto

Nepal Glaciers Shrink By Quarter In 30 Years
By Countercurrents

Climate crisis has caused Nepal 's Himalayan glaciers to shrink by nearly a quarter in just over 30 years. The glacier loss raises the risk of natural disasters in the ecologically fragile region. A new study by the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) shows that the area covered by glaciers has decreased by 24 per cent between 1977 and 2010

Decarbonising The Economy Will Save $71 Trillion By 2050 Says IEA
By Sophie Yeo

Replacing fossil fuels with renewables as the world’s primary source of energy will not only save the planet from dangerous levels of warming – it will also save the global economy US$ 71trillion by 2050. This is the finding of a report, Energy Technology Perspectives 2014, released by the International Energy Agency, which looks at the direction of the energy sector over the next 40 years

A Left Solution To Climate Change
By Jack A. Smith

Socialism comes in different varieties but none of them would allow profits to stand in the way of creating a society based on renewable fuels, sustainable development and new ecological, industrial, economic and social policies. It wouldn’t tolerate great inequality and poverty. It would do its best to avoid war. In our view the world needs this desperately requires system change, not climate change

Going Beyond National Soverignty To Stem The Tide Of
Perpetual Conflict And Complete Ecological Collapse
By A. K. Merchant

As systems of governance in their entirety have become increasingly dysfunctional, international socio-economic and political order requires an entirely new approach and methodology to address the intractable problems confronting nations. The perspective offered by the author is based on his experiences as a social worker that utilizes the spiritual resources of religions as well as the best that secular principles have to offer for building sustainable societies. He is confident, it is still possible to stem the tide of perpetual conflict and complete ecological collapse through a reordering of the present-day structures for the management of our planet

Koonthankulam - Will It Survive The Impacts Of Climate Change?
By Veena M

The only village in India which refuses to use fire-crackers for Diwali or temple festivals is here, where people struggle very much for daily existence, but have the sensitivity to understand birds will be scared by the noise made by crackers. So one can blindly claim that nowhere else they can be as safe as these villages where they are protected and respected at the same time

A Pivot On The Peace Island
By Kathy Kelly

For the past two weeks, I've been in the Republic of Korea (ROK), as a guest of peace activists living in Gangjeong Village on ROK's Jeju Island. Gangjeong is one of the ROK's smallest villages, yet activists here, in their struggle against the construction of a massive naval base, have inspired people around the world

An Open Letter To Cecily McMillan
By Robert J. Burrowes

Our strategy to remake society in accord with principles of justice and love must include recognition of the fact that the legal system is part of what must be removed. More sophisticated methods for dealing with conflict and violence – ranging from listening and needs-based processes to truth and reconciliation commissions as well as nonviolent action – have long existed. So the sooner we embrace wholesale noncooperation with the legal system as part of our strategy the better

Liberating Syria, One Archeological Site At A Time…
By Franklin Lamb

To this observer it is clear that the Syrian public and their officials, in all 14 of the country's governorates, are committed to the complete restoration of their nation's peerless and incomparable archeological heritage sites as soon as security conditions permit

Technocratic Managerial Political Assertion, Zizek And Some Lessons For The Indian Left 
By Joe.M.S.

The technocratic managerial politics embraced in the assertion of middleclass in the times of neoliberal predatory capitalism , is realised in the rise of political formations like AAP. This requires new theoretical perspectives and praxis, on the part of left, rather than mere admiration for them, which even now is entertained by many among the leftists, even after their dismal performance in the national election

A Cup With One Hundred Years Of Acute Thirst
By Gouthama Siddarthan

We know that films made by directors of masses such as Santaram, Rajkapoor had scenes of patriotic fervour that moved masses and tapped their sentiments. In such scenes of patriotic taste, some personality used to dominate and call the shots. But over the years, they became clichéd and in the present age, such a patriotically emotional personality has become a butt of ridicule. At a time when in films of almost all languages only the crime-related scenes have become an in-thing ad nauseam, Modi comes in and fulfils the craving of the Indian mind for the return of the patriotic melodrama

23 May, 2014

On Eve Of Election, Ukraine Slides Toward Civil War
By Bill Van Auken

Ukrainian armed forces early Thursday suffered their worst losses since launching a military crackdown last month against civilian populations opposing Kiev’s coup regime in eastern and southern Ukraine. An attack on a pro-regime roadblock near the town of Volnovakha, about 20 miles south of the city of Donetsk, left 16 soldiers dead and at least 30 more wounded, a number of them gravely. The bloody fighting came just three days before the Kiev regime is to stage presidential elections designed to legitimize the Western-backed coup that ousted Ukraine’s elected President Viktor Yanukovych last February

India Needs $834 Billion To Implement Low Carbon Growth Plans
By Ed King

India will need to invest US$ 834 billion to place its economy on a low carbon trajectory by 2030, a report published in April by the national Planning Commission reveals. It says the country will require “massive” changes to the energy mix to lower the carbon intensity per unit of GDP by 42%, as opposed to 22%, which is its ‘business as usual' scenario

Global Crisis On Torture
By Amnesty International

Amnesty International has accused governments around the world of betraying their commitments to stamp out torture, three decades after the ground-breaking Convention Against Torture was adopted by the UN in 1984

Adam Smith Revisited
By David Anderson

Unsustainable resource exploitation is stretching the ecological carrying capacity of our planet; all exacerbated by rapid technological advancement, expansion of human population and economic stratification dividing the rich from those below them. Our Biosphere is under severe strain. Temperatures will soon rise faster than we can imagine. Once the heat extremes have begun, we will not be able to stop them. Then there will be no second chance to return to normalcy

The Social Cost of GMOs
By Paul Craig Roberts

Monsanto has reduced the measured cost of food production by producing genetically modified seeds that result in plants that are pest and herbicide resistant. The result is increased yields and lower measured costs of production. However, there is evidence that the social or external costs of this approach to farming more than offsets the lower measured cost. For example, there are toxic affects on microorganisms in the soil, a decline in soil fertility and nutritional value of food, and animal and human infertility

USA Needs Help To Begin Long Journey Towards Democracy And Credibility
By Robert Barsocchini

With the USA polling as the greatest threat to world peace and no competitor coming close, the journey towards credibility and democracy will be difficult, but, with hard word and dedication from the international community, the USA will one day be in a position to begin

The ‘Revolutionary’ Face Of the Syrian conflict
By Nicola Nasser

Reports are abound by international organizations about the responsibility of the Syrian government for the human rights violations in the ongoing conflict in Syria, now in its fourth year, but the responsibility of the insurgents has been kept away from media spotlight for political reasons. However, the horrible image of the “revolutionary” performance imposed itself on the media and public opinion to an extent that it has become impossible to black it out anymore

When Enough is Enough, Rise up People of Ethiopia
By Graham Peebles

There are tentative signs that the people of Ethiopia are beginning to organise themselves and stand up against the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) government, a brutal dictatorship, albeit one dressed in democratic western garb

Change The Mainstream Media!
By Tim Gatto

If people that are aware of the garbage spewing forth on mainstream media decided to write to these outlets and demand real news instead of "news for entertainment" we could actually make a difference. There are more and more people each day reaching out to the alternative media each day to get their news. This is not enough. Every American deserves the truth. In reality it is up to those that understand what is going on to change the paradigm. We must make them change the way they deliver the news

Modi’s Rise: Politics And Caste Conversion
By Gouthama Siddarthan

A recent tweet by Subramanian Swamy has created a big controversy. “With the authorities vested in me I hereby appoint Namo as a Brahmin since he has Brahminical gunas (qualities)”. We cannot ignore this as his usual clownish talks. It is the Indian history of the Brahminical authoritarianism of two millennia. It is a historical replay

A Stolen Verdict
By Nirmalangshu Mukherji

The total electorate is 810 million. Since 66.3% of this electorate voted in the elections, the actual number who voted is 541 million. At 31%, BJP won roughly 165 million votes. In other words, in the general population, over 1000 million or 1 billion people or 86% did not vote for BJP. Even among the registered electorate, nearly 650 million or 80% did not vote for BJP. This government is the most unrepresentative of all governments in post-Independent India

You Know Who Is Planning to Kill Your Family, Yet You Don’t ...
By Jay Janson

Article speaks to a typical nation-family presently in the sights of the speculating interest banking industry of the plundering self-anointed ‘International Community,’ formerly similarly self-euphenized as ‘The Free World’ and for centuries known as ‘The Colonial Powers’. It asks why their spokespersons fail to call for prosecution of the Neocolonial Powers’ so blatantly self-indicted in heinous crimes against humanity

22 May, 2014

Climate Change As A Weapon Of Mass Destruction
By Tom Engelhardt

All of it -- everything that brings endless fossil fuels to market, makes those fuels eminently burnable, and helps suppress the development of non-fossil fuel alternatives -- is the WMD. The CEOs of the planet's giant energy corporations are the dangerous mullahs, the true fundamentalists, of planet Earth, since they are promoting a faith in fossil fuels which is guaranteed to lead us to some version of End Times

California's Shale Fail: The Case Of 13 Billion Barrels Of Missing Oil
By Richard Heinberg

On May 21 the Los Angeles Times reported that “Federal energy authorities have slashed by 96% the estimated amount of recoverable oil buried in California’s vast Monterey Shale deposits, deflating its potential as a national ‘black gold mine’ of petroleum.” The EIA had already downgraded its technically recoverable reserves estimate for the Monterey from 15.4 to 13.7 billion barrels; now it was reducing the number to a paltry 0.6 billion barrels

Building A Movement For Happiness
By John de Graaf

The time has come for global action to build a new world economic system that is no longer based on the illusion that limitless growth is possible on our precious and finite planet or that endless material gain promotes wellbeing. Instead, it will be a system that promotes harmony and respect for nature and each other; that respects our ancient wisdom traditions and protects our most vulnerable people as our own family, and that gives us time to live and enjoy our lives and to appreciate rather than destroy our world. It will be an economic system, in short, that is fully sustainable and that is rooted in true abiding wellbeing and happiness

Ukraine Update: Kiev Labels 7 Million People 'Terrorists',
Slaughters Civilians And Plans Banning Of Communist Party
By Countercurrents

Neo-Nazi led authorities in Kiev has termed 7 million people in the eastern region as terrorists. The neo-Nazis are slaughtering people. The Kiev authorities are planning, as initial steps of fascist character, of banning the Communist Party of Ukraine

Historic Sino-Russia Deal Bypasses US Dollar
By Farooque Chowdhury

In a symbolic, but historic blow to the hegemony of US dollar, China and Russia have concluded an agreement with far-reaching significance. The deal bypasses US dollar in part of the two emerging powers’ trade. According to the agreement, two financial institutions of the two countries will pay each other in domestic currencies

66 Year Nakba: I Saw Yafa, Land of Oranges
By Ramzy Baroud

While the term Nakba might be a fitting depiction of what befell the Palestinian nation in 1947-48, it is somud - steadfastness - that keeps the millions of refugees holding on tight to their right of return 66 years after the land of orange trees was conquered, and its somud that will keep Yafa alive, forever

REVIEW: Lia Tarachansky’s Documentary, On The Side Of The Road
By Vacy Vlazna

On the Other Side of the Road, is a documentary with a cathartic difference about the Palestinian Nakba; the 1948 catastrophe of Israel’s ethnic cleansing of over 500 Palestine villages and cities and the forced expulsion of 750,000 indigenous residents and its ongoing dispossession through illegal settlement expansion

Fast-Tracking Neo-liberalism In India
By Colin Todhunter

With a new national BJP administration headed by Narendra Modi coming to power and the backing of India 's ruling corporate elite, is this the type of ‘development' we can expect to see being fast tracked? Can we also expect to witness an accelerated ‘restructuring' of agriculture in favour of Western agribusiness and more farmers to be forced from their land? Can we expect ever increasing population displacement on behalf of commercial interests and rich resource-extraction companies?

Lessons For The Saner Segments Of The Margins
By Ravi Sinha

Left has not ignored the importance of social movements and it has not failed because it has refused to imitate them. Left has failed because it has not been able to come up with a grand strategy to challenge capitalism and its political framework of bourgeois democracy. It knows how to fight the feudalism, colonialism, monarchy and military dictatorships. But these are, by and large, adversaries belonging to a bygone era. Left has failed because it has no strategy against its current adversary. It should focus on remedying this grave shortcoming

Divided; We Can't Take On Deadly Modi - Cocktail
By Anurag Modi

In the Modi versus the rest kind of presidential election that Modi fought; he is basically a big loser. Had it been a proportional representative system, the BJP would have been quite an insignificant factor in the parliament. So, Modi's so-called landslide victory became possible because 61.5% of the opposition was divided amongst its regional leaders, and it is here that religious politics has defeated caste politics

We The People Will Hold Mr.Narendra Modi And His Cabinet Accountable
By Dr.S.G.Vombatkere

Just as Dr.Manmohan Singh and his cabinet were held accountable, We the People will hold Mr.Narendra Modi and his cabinet accountable to their sworn duties. Best of luck, Mr.Prime Minister!

Tribute: Mukul Sinha’s Memory Moves Us On
By Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre

Mukul Sinha leaves a gap which can never be filled. We will not even try this. On the other hand, we have to remember that we can only really pay homage to his memory if we can emulate his life by treading the path that he has shown us. We have to carry on his fight to honor his memory

Vicious Stories: Tragic And Apocryphal
By Fazal M. Kamal

The ordeal of getting a Visa

Arab World’s Withering Heights
By Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja

From perpetuated individual animosity to political insanity rages throughout the contemporary Arab hemisphere. Innocent people are being killed, living ones breathe under barbed wires, and human freedom and dignity is crushed across the Arab world. Morally and intellectually, Arab rulers are weightless on any rational scale used in global affairs. Arab Spring – the focal point of optimism for political change and development is lost in the dust of the Arab military actions. The Arabian Peninsula is fast becoming a ghost landscape of anarchy and a burden on human conscience

Trilateral Defense Ministers Meeting Continues To Build North American Security Framework
By Dana Gabriel

Increased U.S. interest in continental defense continues to have an impact on Canadian and Mexican security policy. Both countries are further adopting American security priorities, which raises concerns regarding sovereignty. Under the guise of stopping drug and illicit arms trafficking, the U.S. seeks to further extend its military and security apparatus into other regions. The trilateral defense ministers meeting is part of the ongoing efforts to establish a fully integrated continental security perimeter and represents another important step towards a North American Union

21 May, 2014

Global Warming Is Melting And Burning The Planet
By Jon Queally

The world is hot. The world is melting. The world is burning. This is what climate change looks like. According to new data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Tuesday, April 2014 tied the one in 2010 as the hottest April since records began. Also this week, new studies and surveys of scientific findings focused on climate change show that from historic flooding in the Balkans, to 'unprecedented' wildfires in southern California, melting ice sheets in Antarctica to deteriorating glaciers in Greenland—the fast-pace of global warming is pushing the planet further and further into a loop of climate extremes

Indian Christians Under A Narendra Modi Led Government
By Shehzad Poonawalla

What hasn't drawn as much attention however, quite unfairly one must add, is the outlook of the BJP, its affiliates and its current poster-boy Mr. Modi towards India's third largest community- the Christians. Come 26th of May 2014 , India will have a new Prime Minister and it's important to understand what the new government's approach towards Christians could be. This is a question, that can perhaps be answered, based on experiences of BJP led governments and from an academic research into their ideological moorings

US Is Complicit In Israel’s Videotaped Murder Of Palestinian Boys
By Ali Abunimah

A United States government call on Israel to investigate the cold-blooded videotaped killing of two Palestinian boys falls far short of a real demand for accountability and amounts to complicity in covering up the crime. The boys, 17-year-old Nadim Siam Nuwara and 16-year-old Muhammad Mahmoud Odeh Abu al-Thahir, were killed at a Nakba Day protest near the Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank village of Beitunia on 15 May

Thai Army’s 19th Move
By Farooque Chowdhury

Thailand’s status quo-democracy required an army intervention. The mainstream’s fight for democracy, political arrangement appropriate to its interests, legally brought the army at the center of Thai political stage

Crimean crisis: The Smell of American Hypocrisy In The Air
By Kourosh Ziabari

The war of words between Russia and the United States is soaring these days over the sovereignty of the Crimean peninsula, and the White House officials are constantly directing accusations and excruciating verbal attacks against Kremlin in what seems to be the most serious dispute between Moscow and the West in the recent years

Modi Wins 2014 Elections: Victory of Development or Divisiveness
By Ram Puniyani

While there are many firsts in Modi coming to power, one first which is not highlighted is that, this is the first time a person accused of being part of the carnage process is going to have all the levers of power under his control. So what are the future prospects for the India of Gandhi and Nehru, what are the prospects of the values of India’s Constitution? Can Modi give up his core agenda of Hindu Nationalism, which has been the underlying ideology of his politics, or will he deliver a Hindu nation to his mentors? No prizes for guessing!

Whose Waters Are They?
By Ubaid Mushtaq

The Indus Water treaty (IWT), brokered by the World Bank and signed by India and Pakistan on September 19, 1960 over the water sharing of Indus basin has seen huge disagreement over the treaty on distribution of potential gains and losses

Human Intelligence or Human Awareness?
By Robert J. Burrowes

Evolution has given each human being, at birth, the potential to develop a diverse range of emotions as one part of the sophisticated capacity they can use to respond immediately and appropriately to each unique circumstance that unfolds throughout their life. Unfortunately, human socialisation (which I call 'terrorisation') and, particularly, the 'invisible' and 'utterly invisible' violence that this entails, systematically destroys the human capacity to utilise emotional responses beyond those very few which are socially acceptable in the cultural context

20 May, 2014

Political Repression Mounts In Run-Up To Ukrainian Presidential Vote
By Alex Lantier

As the unelected Western-backed regime in Kiev prepares to hold presidential elections on May 25, right-wing and fascistic forces are attacking and murdering members of opposition parties. This underscores the entirely fraudulent character of the elections arranged by the imperialist powers in an attempt to give the government in Kiev a veneer of democratic legitimacy

Video Shows Unprovoked, Cold-Blooded Killing Of Palestinian Boys By Israeli Forces
By Electronic Intifada

This shocking video shows the unprovoked, cold-blooded killings of two Palestinian teenagers, 17-year-old Nadim Siam Nuwara, and 16-year-old Muhammad Mahmoud Odeh Abu al-Thahir on 15 May near Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank city of Beitunia

Greatest Generation, Good War, Blah-Blah-Blah
By Mickey Z.

American lives weren't sacrificed in a holy war to avenge Pearl Harbor nor to end the Nazi Holocaust. WWII was about territory, power, control, money, and imperialism. What we're taught about the Good War buttresses the following historical façade: After whipping the original axis of evil in a noble and popular war, the United States can now wave the banner of humanitarianism and intervene with impunity across the globe without their motivations being severely questioned… especially when every enemy is likened to Hitler

The Crumbling Myths And Double Standards Of The GMO Biotech Sector
By Colin Todhunter

The GMO biotech sector is involved in a multi-pronged campaign to influence governments and the public about the benefits of its products. It uses various means. It sets up or infiltrates institutions and co-opts prominent political and scientific figures to do its bidding (1). It hijacks regulatory and policy making bodies (2,3). With help from the US Government, it assumes strategic importance in international trade negotiations and is then able to set a policy and research agenda, as has been the case in India with the Knowledge Initiative on Agriculture and the funding of agricultural research within the country

The "Ralph Nader" Illusion
By John Spritzler

Ralph Nader is providing a kind of leadership to the many Americans who are fed up with our dictatorship of the rich and who want a much more equal and democratic society. Nader's goal is to reform our capitalist society, to have fettered capitalism instead of unfettered capitalism, to have capitalism with some protections for the working class such as single payer health care and a higher minimum wage. This goal will leave unchanged the root cause of our many problems

And The May Uprising Continues………………
By Mathew Jacob

On May 18 Gwangju citizens defied the dictates by the State and sang aloud again just as their heroes did. Thousands occupied the street of liberation and marched down singing and rejoicing the democracy, which only came after bloodshed. This May 18 the chants have grown stronger. The May 18, 1980 is not merely a date in history for the citizens of Gwangju and Korea but a reminder to resist all forms of injustices

South America: How ‘Anti-Extractivism’ Misses The Forest For The Trees
By Federico Fuentes

A recent spate of high-profile campaigns against projects based on extracting raw materials has opened up an important new dynamic within the broad processes of change sweeping South America. Understanding their nature and significance is crucial to grasping the complexities involved in bringing about social change and how best to build solidarity with peoples’ struggles

Eritrea :The Cuba Of Africa
By Thomas C. Mountain

The Cuba of Africa? Authentic journalist Andre Vltchek was the first person I heard using the expression and it started me thinking about the small east African country of Eritrea that he was refering to. The similarities are striking. Both Cuba and Eritrea are small, independent, socialist and revolutionary. Both are suffering under sanctions by the USA and both have been maliciously accused of supporting “terrorism” by the enforcers of Pax Americana

Prosecutable 'International Community' Funds Terror In Ukraine, Syria And Venezuela
By Jay Janson

Funding creation or bloody appearance of civil wars has been the weapon of choice for post Second World War US imperialism. 32 such US promoted civil wars are listed. US backs fascist terror in Ukraine; makes the Venezuelan economy scream; Obama mouths a CIA fed imperial edit, “ Assad must go!” never mind Assad has overwhelming support. 23 presidents overthrown,18 dictators+ put in office. Americans will be prosecuted!

Punjabis Shun Modi, Flock To AAP
By Jaspal Singh Sidhu

At historically crucial junctures, Punjab has shown the audacity to differ with the Indian mainstream. This is what goes to explain the phenomenal victory of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab which, otherwise, drew blank from other parts of the country, also in Delhi where it had emerged as a political force with Arun Kejriwal as Chief Minister only six months ago

19 May, 2014

India: The Next Five Years Or More
By Mukul Dube

Is the election result a big deal? With just 31% of actual votes (21% of electorates, 14% of population),this BJP government is the most unpopular and unrepresentative in republican India and it could change the face of India for ever

Israel's Water Genocide
By Dr. Elias Akleh

Many Palestinian cities in the West Bank and especially in the Gaza Strip face chronic clean water shortages. The rural communities are virtually deprived of water and depend mainly on very expensive tank-water supplies. In the main cities Palestinians have access to an average of only 70 liters of water per person per day for domestic use and personal hygiene, much less than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended minimum of 100 liters

The Birth Of A Eurasian Century: Russia And China Do Pipelineistan
By Pepe Escobar

A specter is haunting Washington, an unnerving vision of a Sino-Russian alliance wedded to an expansive symbiosis of trade and commerce across much of the Eurasian land mass -- at the expense of the United States

Militarist Bunkum
By Paul Craig Roberts

Did you know that 85 to 90 percent of war’s casualties are non-combatant civilians? That is the conclusion reached by a nine-person research team in the June 2014 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. The deaths of soldiers who are fighting the war are a small part of the human and economic cost. Clearly, wars do not protect the lives of civilians. The notion that soldiers are dying for us is false. Non-combatants are the main victims of war

What Next In The Campaign To Save The Internet?
By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers

The campaign has pushed the door open, now we all have to go through it and raise our voices louder than Comcast's lobbyists to save the people's internet

Bring Back Our Girls!
By Gary Corseri

Restore them to their birthright dignity:
Co-creators; mothers; sisters; daughters; friends.

Death Of A Missionary
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

A tribute to Dr K.Jamanadas

Thinking About Adam Ajmeris' In Saffron Times
By Subhash Gatade

History bears witness to the fact that past just cannot be wished away claiming that it is a construct of the adversaries. All those people who tried to brush aside their past under carpet had to pay heavy price for their 'amnesia'. Would Mr Modi be able to make a radical rupture with the period gone by and turn a new page as far as not only good but just governance is concerned. That would be a moot question. Chances look really dim but as of now we have no other option than to wait and watch

18 May, 2014

No! Indians Don’t Vote Intelligently
By Trevor Selvam

Unkind? No, not all. Unsparing? No, not for now. Because, you just cannot wake up to the fascist menace in the last few months before the elections. Just last week, you were saying, the “tide is turning.” “It won’t be a wave, it won’t be a sweep.” You were not duped. You were navel gazing and bickering amongst yourselves, for quite a few years. You fooled yourself. Why? Because you were disconnected. You were out of sync

What Happened? 2014 Indian Parliament Elections
By Mirza Yawar Baig

Our current situation of confusion and weakness didn't happen overnight. Its solution will also take time to show results. We must work for the benefit of the community and the nation – not for the seductive glory of flash bulbs. Those who can't work quietly and steadily and who seek publicity must be rejected. They demonstrate childish immaturity that we can ill afford. We need to work with faith and perseverance. For in the end the race goes to the one who stayed in it long enough

Understanding The Verdict 2014
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

Many people say that calamity is the biggest opportunity and I think this is one of the biggest calamities upon secular parties, social movements and left political groups. They need to use this to rebuild the organisations and develop further links with people as their time for action has now begun. The election results are a warning for all secular progressive democratic forces to come together and work diligently

Why Maywati's Dalit Vote Bank Has shrunk?
By S.R.Darapuri

Dalits have slammed Mayawati's Sarvjan formula. The Muslims have also moved away from her. At present the biggest challenge to Dalits, Muslims, Labour class, farmers, small entrepreneurs and petty shop keepers is from the pro Corporate, Hindutva and fascist politics which cannot be faced by opportunist, blackmailing and pro Corporate politics of Mayawati and Mulayam Singh type politicians. It is required that all Leftists, Progressive and Ambedkarite forces should come together to oppose Corporate and Fascist politics by adopting pro people politics

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall...
By S.G.Vombatkere

Right now, the BJP will be busy deciding which MP will get which ministry. This piece will do nothing at all to influence those decisions, but some reasoned guess work may not be out of place

Announcing The Monster
By Shah Alam Khan

Remember more than half of common Indians did not vote for this fascist regimen. Remember the tectonic plate, which connects India with Indians, has fault lines of caste, region and religion…so brittle that momentary glues cannot hold it together without an imminent danger of drifting apart on the slightest provocation. The need of the hour is to gel. Gel with Indians who think and breathe alike. To fortify institutions of hope. It’s not the time to sulk as Muslims but a time to mourn as Indians. There are signs of hope and optimism all around. We just need to clutch on these with all the force and will we have

Earth In Overshoot; Human Growth Is Killing Her
By Dr. Glen Barry

The global ecological system is collapsing and dying under the cumulative filth of 7 billion people INEQUITABLY devouring their ecosystem habitats. As I have written previously and will write again, the human family either comes together to address converging ecology, rights, and injustice crises – largely brought on by inequitable overpopulation – or faces global ecological collapse and the end of being

Postcard From The End of America: Levittown, PA
By Linh Dinh

Levittown is a place where the American Dream has become a desolation row

European Values And Bosnian Grandparents
By Milan Djurasovic

Bosnia, Ukraine,Germany and Democracy

War And Peace In Korea And Vietnam – A Journey Of Peace
By David Hartsough

I have recently returned from three weeks in Korea and Vietnam, countries which have in the past suffered and are still suffering from the ravages of war

10 Reasons To Love Urugay's José Mujica, World's Poorest President
By Medea Benjamin

Mujica has refused to live at the Presidential Palace or have a motorcade. He lives in a one-bedroom house on his wife's farm and drives a 1987 Volkswagen. "There have been years when I would have been happy just to have a mattress," said Mujica, referring to his time in prison. He donates over 90 percent of his $12,000/month salary to charity so he makes the same as the average citizen in Uruguay. When called "the poorest president in the world," Mujica says he is not poor. "A poor person is not someone who has little but one who needs infinitely more, and more and more. I don't live in poverty, I live in simplicity. There's very little that I need to live."

The Nazi Danger -- A Letter From Odessa
By T., a teacher from Odessa

Whether the crime in Odessa will be investigated or not, is a big question. I personally am not at all sure of it. But it is impossible to put up with the fact that 48 Odessites (and, by the grapevine, much more) have been burned alive, as in Byelorussian village of Khatyn. We have been seeing their charred bodies while sleeping and have cried our eyes out imagining their sufferings. There has never been such a horrible crime against humanity in Odessa since the war of 1941-1945

Professor G.N. Saibaba: A Prisoner Of Conscience
By Shobha Aggarwal & Dr. Paramjit Singh Sahni 

Prof. Saibaba is a political prisoner. In view of the facts and circumstances of the case he needs to be given bail on emergent basis and the accusations against him withdrawn

16 May, 2014

Hindu Supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party Comes To Power In India
By Countercurrents

Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won a landslide victory for Indian parliament election. BJP is set to win in 283 seats, eight more than the required half way mark in 543 member House. With its allies, the tally of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is expected to go up to 335. Narendra Modi, the BJP's leader, will be the next prime minister of India

BJP: The People's Choice - But..
By S.G.Vombatkere

The BJP, led by Mr.Modi, has given the people to believe that replacement of the INC will solve the country's problems, and has proposed a 3-point macro-agenda of Ram Mandir, Article 370 and Uniform Civil Code. It is a matter of time before people get disillusioned with the BJP (NDA) government and the 16th Parliament, simply because the model of development that BJP will follow is not different from what the UPA-1 and UPA-2 (and indeed the NDA before UPA-1) have been following ever since Dr.Manmohan Singh formulated the New Economic Policy in 1991. But this time around, the hold of the big corporations on the print and electronic media and on governments, can ensure that dissent and protest is silenced more effectively than UPA could ever do

Will India Shed Centrist Mask Under Narendra Modi Sarkar?
By Syed Ali Mujtaba

With Narendra Modi on the hot seat being the Prime Minister of India, the beginning of the RSS rule seems to be on the anvil, notwithstanding BJP’s effort to enlarge the NDA fold. Behind the velvet gloves it shall be the iron fist of the RSS rule that seems to be tilting India to the right of centre

Thousands Bury Youths Slain By Israel On Nakba Day
By Ma'an News Agency

Thousands of Palestinians turned out on Friday to bury two youths killed by Israeli soldiers a day earlier during protests to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the Nakba, or "catastrophe," of the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians in 1948.The bodies of Nadim Siyam Nuwara, 15, and Muhammad Audah Abu al-Thahir, 17, were brought to their final resting place in the villages of Abu Shukheidim and al-Mazraa al-Qibliya in the hills north of Ramallah. The two youths were shot directly in the chest while protesting near Israel's Ofer prison, located in the central West Bank near Ramallah

Despite Round Table Talks, Ukrainian Regime Escalates Crackdown
By Johannes Stern

The United States and Europe signaled their support for the Kiev regime’s “antiterror” operations to crush pro-Russian protesters in eastern Ukraine, even as the Kremlin indicated its support for so-called “round table” talks on Wednesday in Kiev and distanced itself from the protesters

Protesters In Brussels Say Democracy Is Not For Sale
By Colin Todhunter

On Thursday 15 May, farmers, trade unions and citizens belonging to the D1920 Alliance and Alter Summit tried to shut-down Brussels ' biggest corporate lobbying event in protest at big business dictating European policy. The surrounding of the European Business Summit marked the beginning of a period of action across Europe against austerity policies and the corporate hijack of decision and policy-making processes within the EU

What The Media Not Telling Us About Yemen
By Ramzy Baroud

The odd thing is that there is only one Yemen and one Yemeni story: that of war, western intervention, corruption, division, unemployment, terror, poverty and revolution. They are all aspects of the same story, and will continue to form one singular rationale of why Yemen is in this awful crisis. Until we realize this, Yemen shall continue to be divided into mini-stories, and numerous narratives that hardly overlap in our news broadcasts, despite the fact that they always really do

Australia - From Le socialisme sans doctrines To A Corporatised Client-State
By George Venturini

In a little more than one hundred years a sycophantic 'ruling class' has 'managed' to turn a budding social-democracy into a sinkhole for banking, mining, retailing and other foreign interests

Pakistan Supreme Court Case Highlights Plight Of Stranded Pakistanis In Bangladesh
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has finally admitted for hearing a petition filed in 2009 seeking repatriation of around 230,000 stranded Pakistanis from Bangladesh. The petition was filed by Advocate Rashid-ul-Haq Qazi as a representative of the Stranded Pakistanis General Repatriation Committee and the Organization for Repatriation of Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh

Is The Military-Industrial Complex Invincible?
By Kourosh Ziabari

Even though the military-industrial complex seems enormously powerful and prevailing, it’s not invincible. The grassroots movements, the alternative media, progressive, anti-war intellectuals, scholars, authors, journalists and conscious citizens can resist the forces that are driving our world to more wars and unrestricted bloodshed. As Laura Eisenhower, the great granddaughter of the U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, noted in an interview with “Exopolitics”, unity and consciousness can lead to the collapse of the military industrial complex. So, even a member of the presidential family tells us that what his great grandfather had warned against 53 years ago is not an unbreakable, undefeatable ghoul. It can be brought down

15 May, 2014

Historic Day Of Action To "Save The Internet!"
By Jon Queally

US Federal Communications Commission's plan would allow companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon to create a two-tiered Internet, with a fast lane for those who can afford it — and a dirt road for those who can't afford it

Can We Keep The Internet Free?
By Candace Clement

In this new world, smaller content providers and startups that could not pay for preferential treatment might not be able to compete because their delivery speeds would be much slower. And consumers would have to pay more because any company that agrees to strike deals with phone and cable companies would undoubtedly pass on those costs to their users

Blackwater Mercenaries Direct Kiev Regime’s Crackdown In Ukraine
By Alex Lantier

Hundreds of US mercenaries are directing the repression of pro-Russian protesters in eastern Ukraine by the fascist forces of the NATO puppet regime in Kiev, according to German media report

The Hidden Costs Of Cheater Economics On Human Health And The Future Of Life On Earth
By Brent Blackwelder

In a true cost steady state economy, the real costs of goods and services would not be disguised, hidden, or kept off the accounting ledger. The former head of Friends of the Earth England, Tony Juniper, makes a significant contribution to the discussion of a true cost economy in his new book What Has Nature Ever Done For US? How Money Really Does Grow on Trees

Wow! An Israeli Government Minister Speaks The Truth!
By Alan Hart

Who was it? Justice Minister and chief negotiator (with the Palestinians) Tzipi Livni. What did she say? On 9 May she said on Army Radio that Israeli settlements were to blame for the failure of peace talks. “The settlers want to prevent us from living a normal life and do not accept the authority of the law… Settlers are preventing us from reaching a resolution… Settlement construction makes it impossible to defend Israel around the world.”

On Nakba Day, Israelis Forced To Confront A Guilty Secret
By Jonathan Cook

As marches and festivals are held today by Palestinians across the region to mark Nakba Day – commemorating the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and the erasure of more than 500 villages – Israelis will be watching

The U.S. Military’s New Normal In Africa
By Nick Turse

The Benghazi killings, unrest in South Sudan, and now the Boko Haram kidnappings have provided the U.S. with ways to bring a long-running “light footprint in Africa” narrative into line with a far heavier reality. Each crisis has provided the U.S. with further justification for publicizing a steady expansion on that continent that’s been underway but under wraps for years. New forces, new battlefields, and a new openness about a new “war,” to quote one of the men waging it. That’s the real new normal for the U.S. military in Africa -- and you don’t need to talk to Lieutenant Colonel Lee Magee to know it

Child Labor In USA And Need For CARE ACT
By Dr. Soma S. Marla

USA often preaches against child labor and campaigns to reduce child labor in developing countries such as Mexico and India but a recent report on child labor in USA released by Human Rights Advocate Group reveals many shocking statistics. The report reveals debilitating effects that tobacco plantations, for example have had on the health of children as young as seven years working there. For earning higher profits Capitalism does not discriminate young children, old or any category of population

Condemnation Of Communal Violence in Sikh Chawni:
Interfaith Forum Demands Judicial Enquiry
By Interfaith Forum - Press release on communal violence in Hyderabad

We appeal to citizens of Hyderabad to ensure rumors do not vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of the city and to prevent any untoward incidences in their localities and ensure peace in the entire city

Isn’t ‘Illegal Bangladeshi’ Racist Shorthand For Bengali Speaking Muslims In Assam
By Bonojit Hussain

A lot has been written about the underlying causes of these recurring targeted killings and we need not dwell upon that here. What should bother us all is how quickly discourse over the recurring massacres in BTAD is transformed into a debate on the question of illegal immigration from Bangladesh, wherein the victims are immediately labeled as ‘illegal Bangladeshis’. Even if the victims were ‘illegal Bangladeshis’, the barbaric act of killing 46 people in a span of 36 hours is a crime against humanity

Gross Violations Of Prof. G. N. Saibaba’s Human Rights Continue In Judicial Custody
By Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association

The Gadchiroli I.G. claims that it was the court’s issuance of a non-bailable warrant in FIR case number 3017/2013 (Aheri PS, Dist. Gadchiroli) against Prof. G.N. Saibaba that led them to arrest him. Did the court also order that a person who suffers 90 per cent disability be blindfolded and abducted? That no arrest warrant be served? That his wife should not even be officially informed of her husband’s arrest?

14 May, 2014

Six Injured In Koodankulam Nuclear Plant Accident
By Countercurrents

Six workers were injured at Tamil Nadu's Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) on Wednesday. Three persons have suffered serious injuries and 3 minor injuries. All the injured have been admitted in the private hospital on the outskirts of Nagercoil. Sources from inside the plant report that at least three of the injured were contract workers and the other three were NPCIL staff. Reports also suggest that the accident happened in or around the boiler section of Unit 1, which reportedly attained criticality mid-year last year

'Energy [R]evolution': Nearly 100% Renewable Is Doable
By Jon Queally

Produced by both Greenpeace and the Global Wind Energy Council, which represents the international wind industry, a new report released Monday—titled Energy [R]evolution - A Sustainable USA Energy Outlook—details how by 2050, renewable energy sources could be producing close to 97% of electricity in the U.S. and approximately 94% of the country's needs for heating and cooling homes and businesses

#BringBackOurCriticalThinking
By Mickey Z.

For now, please remember: The U.S. government doesn’t give a damn about kidnapped African girls but it cares a whole lot about control, domination, resources, and keeping its own population thoroughly pacified via spin

Boko Haram And Tentacles Of Terror
By Ismail Salami

Dwelling in a life-in-death situation, nearly three hundred innocent Nigerian schoolgirls are going through a psychological ordeal at the hands of the notorious Boko Haram Takfiri group. Unfortunately, the international community has not yet taken any concrete steps towards saving their lives. A new video released by the Takfiri group shows the kidnapped schoolgirls and its leader Abubakar Shekau saying the girls would only be released if all imprisoned militants are released

Boko Haram And The Politics Of Terror
By Chandra Muzaffar

The heinous abduction of 276 girls from a boarding school in the village of Chibok in the north eastern part of Nigeria on the 14th of April 2014 falls into a pattern of hideous terror unleashed by the Boko Haram in Nigeria, north Cameroon and Niger for a few years now

What You Can Do For The Kidnapped Nigerian Schoolgirls
By Mary Shaw

By now you probably know that more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls were abducted last month by Boko Haram terrorists and remain missing. hose poor girls clearly need outside help. And you can help, too, with just a few clicks

The Twilight Zone Of American Political Life
Where Almost Every Word Of News Isn't What It Seems
By John Chuckman

The power and resources that are in the hands of America’s great secret agencies are greater than those enjoyed by many of the world’s dictators. And the distortions of the American press surely are in keeping with the practices of places where the press is never regarded as free. Many Americans know that at the local town or city level, they do have democratic institutions and attitudes, a fact which reassures them against criticisms of their national system, but then so does China today, and no one calls China a democracy

Man And Humanity In Search Of Peace Not Wars
By Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja

“There are the times that try men's soul”, noted Thomas Paine in his famous “Common Sense”, the moral and intellectual hub of the American independence . In situations of adversity and crises, competent leaders represent hope and optimism for change and conflict management, not egoistic political agenda and animosity

And What Do We Now?
By Mike Ferner

Last month, they emptied the storage locker and took all the displays to individuals’ homes. On Saturday, an immense funeral pyre consumed the 6,800 wooden tombstones. Members of the Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition (NWOPC) have decided they will no longer mount their “Arlington Midwest” memorial to the Iraqi and Afghan civilians and American soldiers killed in over a decade of war and occupation

The European Commission “A Disgrace To The Democratic Traditions In Europe”
By Colin Todhunter

Corporate Europe Observatory has just released a critical report on the record of the European Commission over the last five years. The report sums up the record of the outgoing Barroso II Commission and how it has interacted with big business lobby groups during its term

Australia : Changes For The Worst
By Ghali Hassan

It is not difficult to speculate about what a Neo-Fascist government, masquerading as “Liberal” government will do and will not do. The new Australian Government has begun a process of turning Australia into the nation that many Australians thought it is in the past. Australians, however, seem oblivious to the likely effect of the changes and Australia's place in the world

Bigger Fish To Fry – The Politics Of Veg-NonVeg “Hindu-tva”
By Umang Kumar

Whether it is a national party or a national newspaper, the battle over food habits masks more sinister attempts to define ideal modes of life and behavior and also to mark off space by displacing the other. In some cases, the displacement may be just beyond the pale, whether to the outside of a canteen or a village, in others it is meant to indicate expulsion to another country

Tracing The Roots Of Corruption In Education System In North- Maharashtra
By Swapnil Dhanraj

This piece deals with the issues of caste nepotism and corruption in the state of Maharashtra, particularly in north Maharashtra where communities like, Maratha Patil, Leva Patil, Deshmukh and other Marwadi communities have monopoly over educational institutions. The first three communities play an important role in education industry in north Maharashtra due to their caste influence and socio-cultural capital. In this connection we need to examine the linkages between upper caste lobbies, corruption and recruitment procedure in North- Maharashtra

Before They Attack My Kidney: Agrochemical Business And CDKu In Sri Lanka
By Darshana Ashoka Kumara

Throughout last decade mainstream media and public discussion in Sri Lanka were not enough focused on Chronic Kidney Disease in the North-Central province of Sri Lanka. Now, in 2014, the situation is alarming; the deadly disease has raised its ugly head with more energy and come to your door step. Virtually, it is a situation of do or die

Exercising Right To Vote/Not To Vote In Indian Democracy? A Case Of J & K
By Ravi Nitesh

Two very important things happened during this election season in J&K. These two things, though were associated with elections, but surely happened in the way that it may pave the future strategies related to J&K. First is the voting boycott by many people and second is the humiliation of those who voted

Veteran Communist Revolutionary Leader Comrade Suniti Kumar Ghosh Is No More
By Countercurrents

Comrade Suniti Kumar Ghosh, revolutionary communist and one of the theoreticians of the Naxalbari movement, passed away on May 11 evening, in Asansol, Paschimbanga India

The Nay Pyi Taw Declaration: A Step In The Right Direction
By Chandra Muzaffar

The Nay Pyi Taw Declaration adopted by the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the end of the 24th ASEAN Summit at Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar, on the 11th of May 2014, may turn out to be one of the regional grouping’s most significant documents

San Francisco Rides The $15 Wave
By Shamus Cooke

It seems that Seattle has officially passed the $15 baton to San Francisco, and they’re running with it. On May 5th San Francisco had its first public organizing meeting to prepare for a ballot measure to raise the minimum wage to $15. The Labor movement and broader community organizations were well represented, and with them all the potential to achieve a great victory

12 May, 2014

As Eastern Ukraine Vote For Self-Rule , Soldiers Open Fire On Crowd
By Chris Marsden

Pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine’s two eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have declared a victory for “self-rule” in referenda held yesterday. The votes took place in the face of condemnation by the regime in Kiev and its Western backers and an appeal for the referenda to be postponed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Dozens of members of Kiev’s National Guard, recruited largely from neo-Nazis aligned with the Right Sector and the Svoboda party, forcibly shut down voting in the town of Krasnoarmeisk and fired on a crowd outside the town hall, killing a number of unarmed civilians

Hitler "Modi-fied" 
By Shehzad Poonawalla

My dear Indian voters, Here is a simple exercise. Try it out. For the next five minutes please read the following few character, personality and political-traits and do try to guess which prominent politician is being referred to. Trust me, the answer will surprise many of you

Uniting The People Of The World In A Sharing Economy
By Mohammed Mesbahi

The time has come when we must demonstratein our millions not against this or that,but rather for who we are

“The Russians Are Coming … Again … And They’re Still Ten Feet Tall!”
By William Blum

So, what do we have here? In Libya, in Syria, and elsewhere the United States has been on the same side as the al-Qaeda types. But not in Ukraine. That’s the good news. The bad news is that in Ukraine the United States is on the same side as the neo-Nazi types, who – taking time off from parading around with their swastika-like symbols and calling for the death of Jews, Russians and Communists – on May 2 burned down a trade-union building in Odessa, killing scores of people and sending hundreds to hospital

Citizens v. Subjects In A Democratic Society: The American Case
By Richard Falk

In my understanding silence is passivity as a way of being. Silence can be much more than the avoidance of speech and utterance, and is most poignantly expressed through evasions of body, heart, and soul. Despite the frustrations and defeats of the period, America was different during the years of the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement. It was then that alienated gun-wielders assassinated those among us who were sounding the clearest calls for justice and sending messages of hope. In a perverse reaction, Washington’s custodians of our insecurity went to work, and the sad result is this deafening silence!

Meet Me At The Corner of Empathy & Anger (Occupy this Book excerpt)
By Mickey Z.

We need a planet with fewer reasons to grieve and far more reasons to celebrate and the good news is that there's a growing celebration meeting down at the corner of Empathy & Anger -- and what we're planning is nothing less than a global jailbreak

Israeli Ties Compromise Asian Support To Arabs
By Nicola Nasser

Israel has carved economic inroads into Asia deep enough to compromise the traditional Asian political support for Arabs. If this trend continues, the growing economic Israeli-Asian relations could in no time translate into political ties that would neutralize Asia in the Arab-Israeli conflict

The Three Faces of Drone War
By Pratap Chatterjee

Enemies, innocent victims, and soldiers have always made up the three faces of war. With war growing more distant, with drones capable of performing on the battlefield while their “pilots” remain thousands of miles away, two of those faces have, however, faded into the background in recent years. Today, we are left with just the reassuring “face” of the terrorist enemy, killed clinically by remote control while we go about our lives, apparently without any “collateral damage” or danger to our soldiers. Now, however, that may slowly be changing, bringing the true face of the drone campaigns Washington has pursued since 9/11 into far greater focus

After Syria Debacle, What Now?
By Ismail Salami

Thanks to the indefatigable efforts of Iran and Russia, Syria is gradually recuperating a callous crisis wrought by Washington and its regional Arab puppets. According to an agreement brokered by the UN, Russia and Iran, foreign-backed militants left the Syrian city of Homs on Thursday and the city is now fully under the full control of government forces

Is It A 'Privilege' Not To Be Discriminated Against?
By John Spritzler

Some on the Left have recently begun asserting that people who are the ones NOT discriminated against (working class whites in the United States, working class Jews in Zionist-controlled Palestine, working class males in some cases) are "privileged." Instead of talking about racial (or ethnic or gender) discrimination, these Leftists prefer to talk about "white privilege" or "Jewish privilege" or "male privilege" and so forth. The following will show that not only is the word "privilege" inappropriate in this context, but additionally it is the oppressor class and only the oppressor class that benefits from this use of the word "privilege." (How and why Big Money promotes "privilege" rhetoric is discussed in detail here.)

FCC: We Won't Stop Until The Internet Is Safe!
By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers

We're camping out day and night on the FCC's doorstep to defend net neutrality and keep the Internet free from discrimination and "slow lanes"

Assam: Ethnic Communal Divides To The Fore
By Ram Puniyani

The recent (May 01and 02 2014) violence in Kokrajhar, Baska killing 44 Bengali speaking Muslims is one more reminder of the seeping Bodo-Muslim tension in the region

Dilemma of Dalit Movement In Nepal
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

Nepal’s Dalit movement face and existential crisis as attempt are being made that it does not stand on its own and depend on the various ideological formations in the name of ideology, politics or development

Condemn Arrest of Dr. G.N. Saibaba
By People’s Union for Democratic Rights

PUDR condemns the abduction and arrest of G.N. Saibaba by men in mufti in broad daylight, on 9th afternoon. Dr. Saibaba, an Assistant Professor of English in Ram Lal Anand College was returning home around 1 p.m. after participating in the University’s examination evaluation work in North Campus when his car was stopped and he was blindfolded and whisked away by plain clothed personnel of the Maharashtra Police. According to latest reports, he has been taken to Nagpur already

11 May, 2014

Lugansk And Donetsk Vote For Self-Determination While Fighting Resumes Near Slavyansk
By Countercurrents

Residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in east Ukraine have cast their ballots on May 11, 2014 in a referendum on whether the regions should declare sovereignty and break away from Kiev

Mariupol Killings: US Backs Ukrainian Regime’s Reign Of Terror
By Mike Head

After tanks, armoured personnel carriers and heavily armed troops were unleashed on unarmed civilians in the city, the Kiev regime claimed to have killed some 20 people. The Obama administration immediately blamed the violent repression on “pro-Russian separatists.”

Will “President Gas Bag” Do ADr Strangelove To Start A World War Backing NATO Nazi Stooges? 
By A D Hemming

When does a swastika not mean Nazi? Apparently when NATO supports these Nazis as they did in 1949 in the Ukraine as is the case today but then fortunately for the people of the area Kim Philby who had been with MI6 exposed the whole affair before the lives of so many innocents could be sacrificed on the Cold War altar

Disentangling Ukraine From Our “Narrative Lines”: A Zen Moment For Our Droned Psyches!
By Gary Corseri

Remembering a trip to Kiev, Ukraine

The 3rd National Climate Assessment - Denial That Limits Needed Action
By Bill Henderson

The 3rd National Climate Assessment is a very impressive report: well written, great language, great graphics, very informative (especially the website). The Obama Administration seems to be focusing in on climate change as a legacy issue and the average American reading this report must surely understand that climate change is happening now and has immediate costs in a threatened American economy

Our Duty To Future Generations
By John Scales Avery

We are living today in a time of acute crisis. We need to act with a sense of urgency never before experienced. We need to have great courage to meet an unprecedented challenge. We need to fulfil our duty to future generations

Children’s Future Is Dependent On A Common Interest
By Lionel Anet

We must choose between the frustration, fears, insecurity, and devastation of competition, in contrast to the pleasure, satisfaction, and the security of fulfilling the social needs by cooperating. To deal with global warming will not be a sacrifice, on the contrary it will give the young something to work for and hope

The GMO Biotech Sector Can't Win The Scientific Debate:
Co-option, Deception And Collusion As An Alternative Strategy
By Colin Todhunter

The GM sector will only get its products into Britain (and elsewhere) if its institutions and mouthpieces in government, academia and the media are left unchallenged. Part of the strategy involves counting on a misinformed and easily manipulated public

Zionism Beyond Control And Choices For The Palestinians
By Alan Hart

The conclusion to be drawn from the Obama administration’s predictable and predicted failure to get an Israeli-Palestinian peace process going is that the Zionist (not Jewish) monster state is beyond control. And the question arising is this. What are the real choices for the Palestinians?

The Aptly Named Anne-Marie Slaughter
By Steve Breyman 

Might Americans (and the rest of the world) sleep more soundly now that Anne-Marie Slaughter no longer sits around the tables of power in Washington? Maybe. There's also the prospect that she's become even more dangerous to world peace

The Politics Of The Insignias
By Gouthama Siddarthan

In many constituencies the general awareness about their respective candidates and about the prospective winner among them doesn’t seem to exist at all, except in the case of the most popular ones. In this so called ‘Democratic process’ the focus is on the party symbol rather than the candidate himself or on his individual credentials. The origins for this tendency in voters’ minds needs to be understood and this necessitates a debate with criticism about the electoral process itself and its structure along with the subtle politics behind it

We All Should Be Out And Proud
By Devika Mittal

The Supreme Court of India has recently recognised transgenders to be the third gender. They have been recognised as full citizens of the country who will be entitled to equal rights. This decision has been warmly welcomed by not just people of LGBTQ community but also by many amongst the heterosexual community. It is being seen as the realisation of a true and just democracy. It is being hailed as a progressive move

Communicating Gujarat !!
By Sanjeev Kumar

Gujarat claims exceptional improvement in communication infrastructure development which included road, ports etc. There is no doubt that Gujarat is one of the best state in india in terms of availability of infrastructural facilities such as roads and ports, but there are number of states which are well ahead of Gujarat in this field

AK versus NaMo
By Subhash Gatade

Imagine an alternate scenario which could have been followed by Mr Kejriwal. Instead of engaging in the public display of his religiosity - by taking a 'holy dip' in the Ganges or by participating in the Ganga Aarti (nobody is here questioning his right to do so) - he could have as well declared that by faith he might be a Hindu but for him it is a private matter and by choice and by practice he believes in clear separation of religion and politics. This move would have definitely cost him few votes but could have helped him set an alternate agenda in these critical times when the very idea of secularism is being questioned, challenged and derided as never before.

A Battle Line Crisscrosses Narayanganj And A Bangladesh Reality Gets Exposed
By Farooque Chowdhury

The battle line crisscrossing today’s Narayanganj, a river-port city near Dhaka, is not between the forces of status quo and its opponents. It’s not between, as almost always perceived in almost all Bangladesh political incidents, Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the two major political parties in today’s Bangladesh mainstream. The line runs through the status quo

08 May, 2014

Putin Endorses Presidential Elections In Ukraine
By Chris Marsden

Escalating military and economic threats have succeeded in getting Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept the legitimacy of presidential elections in Ukraine scheduled by the unelected regime in Kiev for May 25. Putin also urged activists in southeastern Ukraine to call off the independence referendums planned for this weekend “in order that conditions necessary for dialogue are created.”

The Kiev Putsch: Rebel Workers Take Power In The East
By James Petras

The struggle in the Ukraine is not between the US and Russia, it is between a NATO-imposed junta composed of neo-liberal oligarchs and fascists on one side and the industrial workers and their local militias and democratic councils on the other. The former defends and obeys the IMF and Washington; the latter relies on the productive capacity of local industry and rules by responding to the majority

NATO Uses Ukraine Crisis To Wage War On Russia
By RIA Novosti

NATO is using the Ukrainian crisis as a smoke screen for a war plan and the US has already decided to permanently station troops in Eastern Europe, says Harvard-educated professor Francis Boyle, a US-based expert on Russia

The Anthropocene: It’s Not All About Us
By Richard Heinberg

Time to celebrate! Woo-hoo! It’s official: we humans have started a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene. Who’d have thought that just one species among millions might be capable of such an amazing accomplishment? The deepest insight of the Anthropocene will probably be a very simple one: we live in a world of millions of interdependent species with which we have co-evolved. We sunder this web of life at our peril. Earth’s story is fascinating, rich in detail, and continually self-revealing. And it’s not all about us

Climate Crisis Hotspots In Africa
By Countercurrents

Overlapping impacts of climate change such as drought or flooding, declining crop yields or ecosystem damages create hotspots of risk in specific parts of Africa . These are for the first time identified in a study now published by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Weather And Political Tension In The Black Sea Region
Make Food Market More Volatile, Says FAO
By Countercurrents

Weather conditions in a number of countries and political tensions in the Black Sea region have made food markets more volatile. This was stated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation in its new Food Outlook, a biannual publication that provides information on the short-term market situation and outlook for major food stuffs

Saudi Blogger Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison And 1000 Lashes For ‘Insulting Islam'
By Countercurrents 

Raif Badawi, a Saudi blogger and activist, has been sentenced by a Saudi court to 10 years in prison and 1000 lashes for “insulting Islam.” Raif was also ordered to pay a fine of 1 million Saudi riyals (about $265,000) by the Criminal Court in Jeddah. His persecution of what was called by the country's authorities as “insulting Islam” started in 2008 after he co-founded the “Free Saudi Liberals” website to discuss the role of religion in Saudi Arabia . The network declared May 7, 2012 a "day of liberalism" in the kingdom and called for an end of religion domination over public life, which angered the authorities

Why The American Plutocracy Needs Both The Republican And Democratic Parties
By John Spritzler

Big Money laughs all the way to the bank when they see people arguing why "their party" is better than the other one. The Democratic and Republican parties are like the two blades of a pair of scissors. Neither works without the other; they need and use each other

Portending Bad Days For Democracy
By Anand Teltumbde

Why should Modi burn the bridges to the prospects of power? Even the best estimate of the opinion polls fall short of the majority mark. Of course the trend of these estimates has been scaling up but no one in sound mind would simply extrapolate it and take it as certain. Somehow, BJP appears to be confident about riding past the 272 mark. Whatsoever may be its agenda, it inadvertently reveals a stark truth about its undemocratic self in arrogantly pitching itself against all. If it gets power, BJP could just ride roughshod any opinion in driving its agenda!

India’s Election: Gujarat Model of Development Vs. Nation’s Conscience
By George Abraham

Many fear that this election could fundamentally transform India to the point of no return beyond an open society, where all citizens, regardless of whether they belong to a majority or minority community, are treated equally before the law. While the BJP might have earned the right to pursue their agendas through the traditional process of democratic governance, do they need to radically alter the face of the nation? However, if they are to pursue the radical nature of their goals, there will be consequences, the first of which would be to divide the nation based on religion, caste and region

Should Only Minorities Be Worried Over Mr Modi?
By Sanjay Kumar

All successful experiments in Fascism have relied on popular mobilisations behind a charismatic leader. It seems for the first time the Hindutva fascism in our country has found some one with that potential in Mr Modi. The privilegenstia of the country has made its mind. Mr Modi's political opponents are addressing the remaining Indians, telling them of his role in the 2002 pogrom. It is a sign of the weakness of anti-fascist forces in the country that they have continued to harp on his anti-minority record only, and have failed to develop a generalised critique of the man and his politics. In reality there are enough reasons, even without the 2002 pogrom, for ordinary Indians to be worried over the rise of Mr Modi

Unpaid Media Employees Of India
By Nava Thakuria

India’s highest court on April 9 ruled that journalists and non-journalists of newspapers and news agencies are entitled to a pay hike under the recommendations of the Majithia Wage Board. Dismissing pleas by various owners seeking a review of its earlier judgment, the Supreme Court directed publishers to implement the recommendations of the latest wage board from this month on

Revoke The 13 Year Long Ban On SIMI
By DSU

Resist and defeat the politics of Islamophobia and minority witch-hunting in the name of ‘war on terror’!

07 May, 2014

Many People Were Strangled After Escaping The Fire: Odessa Tragedy Survivor
By Russia Today

Radicals set the building with innocent people inside on fire in Odessa, then strangled the survivors and finished them with bats, while police did nothing to prevent the bloodshed. That’s the scary picture a survivor of the massacre told RT

'Screwed?' US Climate Report Says Era of 'Normal' Over
By Lauren McCauley

Compiling the efforts of 300 leading climate scientists and experts, the message is "bleak" as the NCA details how human-caused global warming is being felt "here and now" nationwide. The authors, who were solicited by the National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee, estimate that global warming could exceed 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the United States by the end of this century

Humanity's Destruction of Earth's Climate In Ninety Seconds
By Jon Queally

Data visualization that compresses thousands of years of historic atmospheric data presents frightening prospects for humanity's future

Campaigners Release ‘Hit List' Of 200 Largest Fossil Fuel Companies
By Sophie Yeo

Fossil fuel divestment campaigners have released a hit list of 200 companies from which investors should remove their money. The new Fossil Free Index identifies the 200 largest public fossil fuel companies, based upon the potential CO2 emissions embedded in their reserves. These reserves are growing, as companies continue to explore for new sources of fossil fuels. The list ranks oil and gas companies separately from coal. Gazprom and Coal India top the lists respectively

A New Wave Of Direct Action Against Coal And Gas In Australia
By Dom O'Dwyer

For anyone who sees themselves as more progressive than Nigel Farage, life under the new Australian government hasn't been very exciting – but over the last few weeks we have seen what could be one of the great political shifts in the country's history

US-Saudi Aid And Advanced Weapons: A “Tale” of Syria Intervention
By Countercurrents

Armed intervention in Syria has mainly been fuelled by the US-Saudi axis. There was money, and there was advanced weapons. A report by The Christian Science Monitor exposes the way Saudi money was poured: the mercenaries carrying on proxy war against the Assad government in Syria remain “flush with cash”

Navigating Syria: The Impossible, Indispensable Mission
By Ramzy Baroud

The Syrian conflict should not be a stage of bloody political intrigues for the West and Russia, Israel, Iran and the Arabs. Syria is not a God-given inheritance of the Assad-clan and their friends, or a space for another extremist experiment, as was the case in Afghanistan and Somalia, or another imaginary battlefield for social media leftists, whose claim to socialism is an occasional Facebook profile photo of a clasped fist, or an earth shattering quote about defeating capitalism. Syria belongs to its people. You either stand on their side, or the side of the oppressor

Bangladesh: The Way Backward
By Fazal M. Kamal

The news that there is increasing lawlessness in Bangladesh---including abductions, murders and the persistence of so-called crossfire deaths in police actions, just as predicted months earlier---isn’t the worst to come out recently from that unfortunate country. What’s been of greater anxiety and worry for the people has been the news that the police administration has decided to form anti-kidnapping units

Humiliating V Kurien In Gujarat
By Sanjeev Kumar

The State Government of Gujarat, in her bid to make corporate happy went to the extent of humiliating the none other then Father of Indian White Revolution, Verghese Kurien. Kurien’s only crime was to oppose a move to transfer marketing power of cooperatives products (AMUL) from peasants to capitalist’s owned private companies. Kurien saw in the decision a form of “back-door privatisation” and thus opposed it

Human Emotions: Genetically Programmed or Socially Learned?
By Robert J. Burrowes

If we are to understand human behaviour, including violent human behaviour, it is vital to understand the 'emotional profile' of individuals, including the extent to which they are emotionally undeveloped, emotionally underdeveloped, emotionally maldeveloped and emotionally hyperdeveloped. And this emotional profile will give us greater capacity to understand everything from the diversity of human cultures to the exploitative practices of governments and transnational corporations

06 May, 2014

Civil War Spreads In Eastern Ukraine Amid Attacks By Kiev Government
By Alex Lantier

Bloody fighting engulfed the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine yesterday, as forces of the US puppet regime in Kiev assaulted cities held by armed, pro-Russian protesters. Clashes mounted in Slavyansk, an industrial city and center of the pro-Russian forces north of Donetsk city. Yesterday, the Kiev regime reported that four Ukrainian troops had been killed and 30 injured in clashes in the city, while pro-Russian self-defense forces said that they had suffered 3 dead, 10 missing, and 30 wounded. A 30-year-old civilian woman was shot and killed on her balcony

The Crisis In Ukraine: What Can Be Done?
By Floyd Rudmin

The pieces of the Ukraine crisis all come from the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union 25 years ago: a) oligarchs controlling and corrupting the government, b) regions that are predominantly Russian-speaking, c) neo-fascists with a hatred of Russians and other minorities, and d) NATO nations investing in chances to imperil Russia. It will be difficult for Ukraine, EU, and Russia to escape horrific outcomes unless concerted actions are taken to change the course of events. People need to press their governments to start acting for the well-being of the region’s societies, and stop acting out historical bad habits and loyalty to alliances

CIA And FBI Agents In Kiev 'Assisting Ukraine Security'
By Countercurrents

The German newspaper Bild revealed that numerous US CIA and FBI agents are helping the coup-appointed government in Kiev to “fight organized crime” in the south east of the country

Agriculture's GHG Emission On The Rise
By Countercurrents

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture, forestry and fisheries have nearly doubled over the past fifty years and could increase an additional 30 percent by 2050, without greater efforts to reduce them

Drones: Obama’s Invisible War
By Ismail Salami

In the midst of a crisis which has in recent weeks created a political chasm between Russia and the United States, there is an ongoing carnage in the name of combating terrorism against Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia. The story of the CIA-led killer drones which are killing women and children on a daily basis is a tale accorded inexcusably scant attention in media. Indeed it is being ignored

Ensure The Internet Is Open To All
By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers

To ensure the Internet is open to all on an equal basis we must act now to prevent mega-corporations from destroying Internet Freedom

Complaining To Obama: Distorting The Truth
By Chandra Muzaffar

The views expressed, and the stances adopted, by a number of local politicians and activists in the midst of President Barack Obama’s official visit to Malaysia at the end of April raise some important questions about their understanding of the nation

Memo To John Kerry From An Israeli Official Re: the Word "Apartheid"
By John Spritzler

This memo from an anonymous top Israeli official might have been obtained and then made public

Saving Kerry’s Life?
By Mickey Z.

Here's a little thought experiment: Let's say I'm on such a corner as a pedestrian pushes past me -- too harried to realize that he is stepping directly into the path of an oncoming SUV. I reach out, grab hold of his jacket, and yank his back to safety… only to realize it was none other than U.S. Secretary of State, John F. Kerry

Postcard From The End Of America : Manhattan
By Linh Dinh

Los Angeles has its Skid Row, San Francisco the Tenderloin, and you can find hundreds of roofless Americans sprawling all over Northwest DC, the showcase quarter, but much of Manhattan has become quite sanitized, purged of not just the homeless but any other kind of poorer Americans, as well as the artsy, Bohemian types, who have mostly migrated to Brooklyn. Pumped up by Wall Street, much of Manhattan has become off limits to all but the super affluent

The GM Biotech Sector's Contempt For Democracy: Don't Be Fooled By The Propaganda
By Colin Todhunter

The majority of the British public who hold a view on genetically modified (GM) crops are against them (1). Yet the push to get them into the country and onto plates is in full swing. Strategically placed politicians like Secretary of State for Rural and Environmental Affairs Owen Paterson and scientists such as Professor Jim Dunwell and Sir David Baulcombe are conveying the message that GM food is both safe and necessary

Book Review: “God's Fifth Column” By William Gerhardie
By Dr Gideon Polya

William Gerhardie's brilliant anti-war book “God's Fifth Column. A biography of the Age 1890-1940” [1] should be a must-read for all people around the world as we mark in 2014 the centenary of the start of World War 1, the “war to end all wars” that was inexorably succeeded by the 5-fold greater carnage of World War 2 and thence the prospect of annihilation of nearly all of humanity in a nuclear World War 3 or through climate genocide from climate change inaction

A Strange, Soulless Man And His Utterly Failed Presidency
By John Chuckman

We perhaps can never know what has motivated Obama’s behavior as President. Certainly the memoirs of retired Presidents rarely enlighten us on anything of importance. Is he, as some in his own party have suggested, simply not up to the job? Of course, when they say that, they are not using the same criteria this writer does. In America, even the supposed left is never far from mounting a horse and charging up San Juan Hill. Is he merely responding to the fact of the awesome power of America’s unelected government?

Economic Freedom Fighters of South Africa: From Economic Apartheid To True Democracy
By Garikai Chengu

Contrary to the Westernized, popular belief that South Africa is a “model democracy", it is one of Africa's most dysfunctional democracies. South Africa's apartheid regime is remembered as one of the worst crimes against humanity of the 20th century. The economic system that underpinned it remains alive and well today

Modi: It’s Not Just What He Did, It’s What He Will Do…
By Trevor Selvam

The mall-frenzied classes in India are firmly convinced that Narendra Modi is coming to power like the Kalki Avatar or the Messiah of the Old Testament. The Congress and its camp followers are lost in a trance singing the same tired verses about communalism, fascism, secularism and Hindutva terror. Some Muslims and other minorities have been suckered into believing that “growth” trickles down and it’s all for the good ultimately, like the coming of the Imam Mahdi. It is time to take stock of what Modi will actually do when and if he ascends the throne

Tosa Maidan: Victims of National Interest
By Omkar Khandekar

Tosa Maidan, the meadow sprawling over 11,200 ha was a designated firing range till April 18, 2014. There were 63 deaths caused due to shells that remained unexploded when fired. Furthermore, 43 villagers were left permanently disabled

India Won?!
By Dr Mansoor Durrani

Two more rounds of voting to go. I hope my dream for India remaining a secular (and not becoming a fascist) state comes true. That will be a victory for India

03 May, 2014

Massacre In Odessa , 20 Killed In Sloviansk and Kramatorsk;
Ukraine On The Brink Of Civil War
By Countercurrents

Over the last 24 hours there has been a serious escalation in violence in eastern Ukraine . Violent deaths have been showered over Ukraine as neo-Nazi Right Sector activists in Odessa have burned to death at least 46 activists opposing the authority in Kiev while Kiev troops have killed at least 20 in the eastern cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in overnight assault over anti-Kiev protesters. Street battles have started in parts of east Ukraine

Washington Responsible For Fascist Massacre In Odessa
By Mike Head

With the Kiev regime failing to suppress the opposition, Washington appears intent on provoking a confrontation and then accusing Russia of preventing the presidential poll from proceeding. Meanwhile, on the pretext of training exercises, US troops are being deployed in the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, as well as Poland, bringing NATO forces right up to Russia’s borders

Afghan Landslide Takes At Least 2,500 Lives
By Countercurrents

Death toll in the Afghan landslide has risen to at least 2,500. Thousands of Afghan people in the north-eastern mountain village are still missing. Hundreds of people are now camped out overnight in near-freezing conditions

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels Are The Highest In 3 Million Years
By Countercurrents

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are the highest in 3 million years. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere averaged more than 400 parts per million throughout April, the first time the planet's monthly average has surpassed that threshold. The data from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California , San Diego , shows how world leaders are failing to rein in greenhouse gases that climate scientists say are warming the planet

Secrets About The Origin Of Life Revealed
By Countercurrents

How the first organisms on Earth could have become metabolically active? Researchers from the University of Cambridge have published the details of the answer to the question. The results permit scientists to speculate how primitive cells learned to synthesize their organic components -- the molecules that form RNA, lipids and amino acids. The findings also suggest an order for the sequence of events that led to the origin of life

Stephen Hawking Warns About Use Of Drones In War
By Countercurrents

Stephen Hawking has warned against the use of drones in warfare, with the world caught in “an IT arms race fuelled by unprecedented investment and building on an increasingly mature theoretical foundation”

Where Is The Political Base Of Iran's President?
By Akbar E. Torbat

Rouhani's political base will be further tested as he has begun to implement the next phase of neoliberal reforms prescribed by the International Monetary Fund. While the Iranian economy is already in recession, It remains to be seen how the Iranians, 95% of whom have registered to get a monthly subsidy check, will react to Rouhani's economic austerity program

What Is The Main Issue Of Modi, BJP And NDA During The 2014 Lok Sabha Election-
Development or Majority Communalism?
By Thomas Kocherry

This is the last article written By Thomas Kochery who passed away today. He sent out this article at 3.50 AM this morning. He passed hours after sending out this article. Thomas Kocherry was a social activist, priest, and lawyer who helped found the Kerala Swatantra Matsyathozhilali Federation. He was also a Special Invitee at World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP) and Executive Committee Member. of National Fishworkers' Forum (NFF), India

Book Review: The Fiction of Fact-Finding: Modi & Godhra
By KS Subramanian

In this remarkable and courageous book, Manoj Mitta (senior editor with the Times of India who writes on legal, human rights and public policy issues) mounts a devastating critique of the final report of the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by RK Raghavan, the reports of the amicus curiae Raju Ramachandran, the Chief Minister and aspiring prime minister Narendra Modi, the Gujarat judiciary and by implication the state and central governments too for failing to deliver justice to the over 2000 victims of organised violence in the Gujarat pogrom, 2002, which caused extensive destruction of property as well

Debating Elections, Debating Development
By Ram Puniyani

Mascarenhas, being a religious priest is saying that ‘No magic wand or divine miracles will come to the aid of the Indian people’, this at a time when Narendra Modi is claiming that God has chosen him to lead the country. Modi is in line with some of the recent happenings in the world when God was invoked, George Bush invoked God in invasion of Afghanistan and Tony Blair did the same in the context of attacking Iraq!

02 May, 2014

12 People Killed In Assam When Militants Open Fire On Villagers
By Countercurrents

12 villagers were killed in Indian state of Assam when suspected Bodo militants opened fire on villagers in two separate incidents . 8 people including two children were killed Balapara village and four people were killed in Gobardhana village. Those killed are Bacchu Sheikh (65), Moharbhan Bibi (50), Shonabhan Bibi (22), Jalima Bibi (25), Sayatun Bibi (45), Shohana Khatun (3), Farida Begum (4)

Ukraine Reinstates Military Draft As NATO Threatens Russia
By Alex Lantier

NATO officials escalated their military build-up against Russia yesterday, as the pro-Western puppet regime in Kiev reinstated conscription in order to boost its crackdown on spreading pro-Russian protests in eastern Ukraine. The news came as the position of the far-right regime in Kiev weakened, with more cities and government buildings in east Ukraine held by protesters and militias opposed to it. Protesters stormed the prosecutor’s office, disarming police, in the city of Donetsk, one of many cities in the region, including Luhansk, Slavyansk, and Kramatorsk, now outside of Kiev’s control

Washington Intends Russia’s Demise
By Paul Craig Roberts

Washington has no intention of allowing the crisis in Ukraine to be resolved. Having failed to seize the country and evict Russia from its Black Sea naval base, Washington sees new opportunities in the crisis. One is to restart the Cold War by forcing the Russian government to occupy the Russian-speaking areas of present day Ukraine where protesters are objecting to the stooge anti-Russian government installed in Kiev by the American coup

Madmen In Power
By Gaither Stewart

I don’t believe that Putin’s long silences are signs of a tolerance born from weakness —neither his own nor of the people he leads. Washington should be extremely careful not to overstep here the limits as it does regularly. As Cioran writes in Histoire et Utopie, “Ambition is a drug which makes of the addicted a madman in power.”

The New Emperor's New Clothes: A Fairy Tale For Adults
By Mary Metzger

The Russia Vs America game told in a fairy tale

This Land Isn’t Your Land, This Land Is Their Land
An Empire in Decline (City by City, Town by Town)
By Peter Van Buren

As America's new economy starts to look more like the old economy of the Great Depression, the divide between rich and poor, those who have made it and those who never will, seems to grow ever starker. I know. I’ve seen it firsthand

Olympic Capitalism: Bread And Circuses Without The Bread
By David Swanson

Brazil is set to host the World Cup this year and the Olympics in 2016. In preparation Brazil is evicting 200,000 people from their homes, eliminating poor neighborhoods, defunding public services, investing in a militarized police and surveillance state, using slave and prison labor to build outrageous stadiums unlikely to be filled more than once, and "improving" a famous old stadium (the world's largest for 50 years) by removing over half the capacity in favor of luxury seats. Meanwhile, popular protests and graffiti carry the message: "We want 'FIFA standard' hospitals and schools!"

Preventing A Human-Initiated Sixth Geological Extinction Event
By John Scales Avery

The scientific community, when aware of a grave danger to our species and the biosphere, has a duty to bring this knowledge to the attention of as broad a public as possible, even at the risk of unpopularity. The size of the threatened catastrophe is so immense as to dwarf all other considerations. All possible efforts must be made to avoid it

Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters And Nick Mason: Why Rolling Stones Shouldn’t Play In Israel
By Roger Waters and Nick Mason

Pink Floyd’s founding members come together to argue in favor of the BDS movement -- and urge the Stones to reconsider

A Model of Socialist Society
By Alan Johnstone

One comment on my series of articles said: “If the world socialist movement declines to outline how the revolutionary transformation would take place or what the new society would be like, it is impotent.” I hope this essay addresses part of that failing

A Clash Of Frenetic Happiness
By Maryam Sakeenah

While the ‘Happy British Muslims' video would not have in itself elicited a response more than a fleeting bemused scepticism, it was impossible to get over it and move on, given the 2 million youtube views, the reams of commentary and discussion it generated. The short clip apparently became the biggest issue in the issue-ridden Muslim world, judging by social media ratings. Ardent supporters of the attempt to showcase Muslims in the West as adaptable and ‘happy' people, as well as bitter opponents of such meaningless and inappropriate depiction of Muslims, all jumped into the fray- soon enough, there was a raging storm in a teacup. It all signifies the contradictions, polarities, sensitivities and contentions rife in the Muslim world- like a bubbling, gurgling, steaming cauldron

Lie, Cheat And Steal: Corporate-State Corruption in India 
By Graham Peebles

Since Independence (1947) endemic corruption has been part and parcel of daily life in India. The scale of corruption is immense, the cost to the country staggering; according to Global Financial Integrity (GFI), illicit financial flows since 2007 have averaged 52 million $ US. A staggering “$123 billion was lost in the last decade,” a huge sum, which they state is “thirty times the amount New Delhi spent on social services like healthcare and education last year.”

Is There Still A Modi Wave?
By Narendra Modi Facts

So what is the verdict? There may be a wave, but there is also an anti-wave of considerable strength. There are still many possible outcomes to the election. It's too early to tell which will happen, and above all it is too early to give up the fight

01 May, 2014

Right To Free Speech "Butchered"By Team Modi:
Republishing "9 Myth Busters Of Gujarat 2002 Riots"
By Shehzad Poonawalla

Yesterday, Shehzad Poonawalla wrote a piece for the DNA called "Between Myths and Truths" that busted 9 myths being perpetrated by Mr Narendra Modi wrt 2002 riots. This article was posted at 1pm and went viral on social media. DNA itself tweeted about the article three times. This morning , without notice, the article was forced to be pulled down. It is believed that Narenda Modi's team was so rattled that they instantly ordered the pulling down of the article. We are republishing the article here

Production Without Consumption: Gujarat Model Of Development
By Sanjeev Kumar

Though there are other states in India where average production is better than Gujarat, but even if we decide to believe that in terms of total production, and income Gujarat is one among the best performing state in India, Gujarat performance in terms of average consumption level is worst in relation to its production level. And thus in this ways Gujarat here is far away from normalcy of the theory given by advocates of capital intensive system of production. In terms of per capita consumption expenditure, Gujarat’s performance in the decade 1993 to 2004-05 compared better than the last five years

Request For Help From Ukraine
By Larisa Shevchenko

Larisa Shevchenko writes from the eastern Ukrainian city of Lugansk, who has mobilized against the coup activities on the Maidan in Kiev since December last year and so is familiar with the developments in her country firsthand

Krugman’s Growthism
By Herman Daly

Paul Krugman often writes sensibly and cogently about economic policy. But like many economists, he can become incoherent on the subject of growth

US Economy Is A House Of Cards
By Paul Craig Roberts

Washington has unique subjects. Americans will take endless abuse and blame some outside government for their predicament–Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, China, Russia. Such an insouciant and passive people are ideal targets for looting, and their economy, hollowed-out by looting, is a house of cards

Rape, Rape Culture And The Problem Of Patriarchy
By Robert Jensen

By the end of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, two key questions were on the table for those who not only are aware of rape but would like to end men's violence against women. First, do we live in a rape culture, or is rape perpetrated by a relatively small number of predatory men? Second, is rape a clearly definable crime, or are there gray areas in sexual encounters that defy easy categorization as either consensual or non-consensual?

A New Cold War? Or Just America's Need For A Villain?
By John Chuckman

We read a lot about a new Cold War, and I think there is truth in the words. Obama’s so-called “pivot” towards Asia is clearly directed at China’s emergence as a great power, at the notion of containing China, to use the very word, coined by the American State Department’s George F. Kennan and used for many years to characterize America’s policy towards the Soviet Union

Palestinian Unity: Hope And Gloom In The Beach Refugee Camp
By Ramzy Baroud

For years, Palestinian factions have strived for unity, and for years unity has evaded them. But is it possible that following several failed attempts, Fatah and Hamas have finally found that elusive middle ground? And if they have done so, why, to what end, and at what cost?

Willful Blindness: Abraham Foxman And The Armenian Genocide 
By Pierce Nahigyan

Abraham Foxman, the long-time director of the Anti-Defamation League has invited controversy to Suffolk University for his unwillingness to recognize the 1915 Armenian Genocide - an event which saw an estimated 1.5 million Armenians massacred by the Turks - and his campaign to defeat Congressional acknowledgement of said genocide

Mountbatten, Nehru And Gurdaspur
By Abdul Majid Zargar

This write-up is in response to Mr. B.R.Singh’s article “Kashmir, Gurdaspur, Nehru” which appeared in daily “Greater Kashmir” of 20th April 2014.The author has suggested that in the partition of 1947,Mountbattan & Nehru had no hand in awarding Gurdaspur district to India

 

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