28 February, 2004
Hundreds Of Lost Souls Still In No Man's Land
By Astrid Van Genderen StortHundreds of Iranians, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis and Sudanese have spent the past 10 months in the no man's land between Jordan and Iraq, still with no hope of repatriation
Mining To Destruction And Hijacking
Their Rights To Submission
By Goldy M. GeorgeMining industry is an industry where large scale environmental degradation and humanrights violation takes place in full view of the public eye. But the persons involved in these crimes get away quite easily
27 February, 2004
British Public Is Funding Hindutva Extremism
By Awaaz - Soth Asia WatchA report prepared by Awaaz - South Asia Watch Ltd, says RSS branches in the UK have been raising large amounts of money in the name of charity for natural disasters like the Gujarat earthquake and funding sangh parivar groups, including groups that have incited anti-minority violence
Hubbert's Peak: The Impending
World Oil Shortage
By Kenneth S. DeffeyesAn overview of the of the book "Hubbert's Peak: The Impending World Oil Shortage" By Kenneth S. Deffeyes
Haiti - Insurrection In The Making
By Yifat SusskindAn excellent backgrounder on the political crisis in Haiti
26 February, 2004
Washington Utilizes Rightist Terror
To Effect “Regime Change” In HaitiThe Bush administration is utilizing an armed rebellion by fascistic thugs in the north and center of Haiti to effect a longstanding goal of regime change in the impoverished Caribbean nation
The Pentagon Sounds
The Alarm On Global Warming,
Why Isn't Bush Listening?
By Arianna HuffingtonAccording to a new Pentagon study change will happen, according to the report's authors, as soon as the next three years, with the most devastating fallout potentially occurring between 2010 and 2020
25 February, 2004
Forecast Of Rising Oil Demand Challenges
Tired Saudi Fields
By Jeff GerthSaudi Arabia's oil fields now are in decline, prompting industry and government officials to raise serious questions about whether the kingdom will be able to satisfy the world's thirst for oil in coming years
Even if Palestine Wins At The Hague...
By Ali AbunimahAn ICJ decision on the separation wall in Palestine would be of no value unless it is accompanied by a determined Palestinian-led strategy to translate it into action
Democracy in Afghanistan?
By Meena NanjiIn sticking to the June 2004 schedule for Afghan elections against recommendations from a variety of sources, George Bush is confirming his own penchant for the appearance of democracy rather than any real participation in the political process by a majority of citizenry
Uma Bharati's Cow Agenda
By Ram PuniyaniRight from the word go Uma Bharati has brought in Hindutva into her style of functioning and polices.She has banned liquor and non vegetarian food in the three "holy" cities and to back it up she is now giving a 'cow tilt' to Madhya Pradesh's economy by giving primacy to establishing Goshala
Hindutva Culture And Electoral Alliances
By Nalini TanejaDespite the recent victories in the assembly elections one can say that in electoral terms the BJP remains just where it was in the last round of national elections. In ideological terms it is much stronger than it was in the last round, primarily because its social and political vision finds favour with and reflects the prerogatives of the ruling classes better than any other party
24 February, 2004
Israel Boycotts International Court On
West Bank Barrier
By Chris MarsdenThe Israeli government is refusing to accept the right of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to render an “advisory opinion” on the legality of its West Bank security barrier
A Wall As A Weapon
By Noam ChomskyThe Hague hearings will end in an advisory ruling that the wall is illegal. It will change nothing
HAITI: How Washington Set
The Stage For Uprising
By Lee SustarThe anti-Aristide opposition that is behind the uprising shaking Haiti today is a Washington-connected collection of Haitian businessmen and a scattering of former leftists
Gunned Down With Abandon
By Robert FiskIraqis who fail to see US military checkpoints, who overtake convoys under attack--or who merely pass the scene of an American raid--are being gunned down with abandon. US official "inquiries" into these killings routinely result in either silence or claims that the soldiers "obeyed their rules of engagement"--rules that the Americans will not disclose to the public
For The Right To Strike!
By Tapan SenToday India is witnessing the 9th all India general strike since the onset of the disastrous liberalised economic policy regime. It's for the worker's right to strike made illegal after a court ruling
23 February, 2004
Haiti: Washington Gives Greenlight To
Right-wing Coup
By Richard DufourFormer military and death-squad leaders are attempting an armed overthrow of the elected president of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, with the connivance of an elite-controlled political opposition and under the complacent eyes of Western governments
Hindutva And The Dalit-Bahujans:
Dangerous Portents
By Yoginder SikandHindutva, the unique Indian form of Indian fascism, is the modern incarnation of Brahminism. Although it projects itself as the defender of the 'Hindu' community against imagined 'enemies', such as Muslims and Christians, it is actually premised on an unrelenting hostility towards the vast majority of the so-called 'Hindus' themselves-Dalits, Shudras and tribals
Is It Safe To Play Cricket In India?"
By Raja SwamyWith the Indian cricket team's tour of Pakistan just days away, Indian's are fruriously discussing whether it is safe to play cricket in Pakistan, but they forget to ask the question," Is it safe to play cricket in India?"
Five Women Tonsured For Converting
To Christianity
By John DayalFive women in an Orissa village tonsured for converting to christianity
Get Converted & Damned Too
By Dr M P RajuTill now Conversion to Christianity or Islam was to cost you only the Scheduled Caste status; now by the grace of the Judiciary it may cost even the Scheduled Tribe Status
Forget Valentine's Day
By Kalpana SharmaWhy should the Sangh Parivari's pay so much attention to Velentine's day? Will this not be better if they tackled the manner in which girls continue to be treated and deal with the mockery of marriage where girls are openly traded?
22 February, 2004
Now The Pentagon Tells Bush:
Climate Change Will Destroy Us
By Mark Townsend and Paul HarrisClimate change over the next 20 years could result in a global catastrophe costing millions of lives in wars and natural disasters
Iran's Elections Bolster Hardliners
By Angus McDowallHardliners in Iran could pursue a more aggressive nuclear policy and crack down on the country's reformists after taking control of parliament in an election boycotted by their opponents
21 February, 2004
India Shining: Ram, Raymond And Goan Holidays
Advani admits that the NDA government got the 'feel good' inspiration from a Raymond Suiting ad. Hence you have the glossy ‘India Shining’ images chasing and mocking at you wherever you go
No Honour In Honour Killings
By Dr Bhaskar DasguptaIn many honour killings, the women of the family actively participated in killing their own daughters or sisters. When the women themselves participate in such a disgusting crime, how can one blame only the men?
If Gods Become Silent The
SpeechlessMust Speak
By Udit RajDalits are rejecting Hinduism. Why make a song and dance
about it?20 February, 2004
Palestinian Issue Riddles Bush's 2005 Budget
By Sam BahourIn the proposed $2.4 trillion Budget of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2005 the Bush Administration failed in realistically engaging the issue toward a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian conflict, but, viewed through the proposed budget, President Bush has totally adopted the state line of Israel on almost every account. Bottom line, the Israeli military campaign against Palestinians will continue and the US taxpayer is knowingly, or otherwise, footing the bill
Detained And Tortured By The US Military
By Jim LoneyAhmed is a 52 year-old farmer who lives on the outskirts of Bagdhad. He was detained and tortured by US forces at the end of January. Here is his story
19 February, 2004
One Third Of The World’s Urban Population
Lives In A Slum
By Simon WhelanUnited Nations reported that one billion people—approximately one third of the world’s urban dwellers and a sixth of all humanity, live in slums
A Palestinian Authority Steeped In
Paralysis And Corruption
By Hasan Abu NimahThe PA has been reduced from a national liberation movement and state-building entity to nothing more than a security agent and scapegoat for the occupier
Globalisation, Fascism And Dalits
By Goldy M. GeorgeAn alliance of Dalits, Adivasis, women and working class should emerge to challenge the existing citadels of power headed by a bunch of upper caste elite
18 February, 2004
Jean-Bertrand Aristide And The Dead End Of
“Left” Nationalist PoliticsA letter on Haiti from a reader and a reply by World Socialist Website correspondent Richard Dufour which puts the Haiti violence in perspective
17 February, 2004
US Double Game In Haiti
By Tom Reeves
Even as Colin Powell insists the U.S. does NOT seek "regime change," the attempt to oust the legitimate elected government of Jean Bertrand Aristide grows more violent by the day
Basis of Minorities-Genetic or Social
By Ram PuniyaniRSS is no spokesperson of Hindus, it does represent the most retrograde values of a section of Hindu community. If it is serious about ensuring that the concept of minorities is done away with, it should stop the whole paraphernalia, which it has unleashed upon the country, to spread hate
Income Inequality In India
By Jayati GhoshThe period since the neo-liberal economic reforms were introduced in India has been one of dramatically increased income inequality. For the bottom 80 per cent of the rural population - well more than half of India's total population , who now number nearly 600 million, per capita consumption has actually declined since 1989-90.
16 February, 2004
Tutu tells : Apologise For 'Immoral' War
By Nigel MorrisArchbishop Desmond Tutu will challenge Tony Blair and George Bush today to apologise for their pursuit of a counter-productive and "immoral" war in Iraq
Ngo Factor At Wsf Worries Activists
By Humeira IqtidarThe anti-globalization movement can only continue its remarkable progress if the socially progressive participants are politicized. If it becomes a giant NGO forum, sponsored by rich donors, it can easily lose its effectiveness