31 August, 2004
New Evidence Of Recent Torture In Iraq
By Lisa Ashkenaz CrokeShereef Akeel, an attorney representing former detainees says his recent fact-finding mission to Baghdad uncovered dozens of cases of physical and psychological abuse, sexual humiliation, religious desecration and rape in ten US-run prisons throughout occupied Iraq
Days Of Plunder
By Zainab BahraniThe Occupation forces are doing little to prevent the widespread looting and destruction of Iraq's world-famous historical sites
Illegal Logging In The Solomon Islands
By Chin Ching SooThe Voko people of the Iriri village have been an inspirational development story for Solomon Islands and community development workers world-wide. For over the past 20 years the Voko people have pursued sustainable development and have rejected exploiting their timber resources for the sake of protecting their environment
Religion, Politics And The Modern State
By Ram PuniyaniLast two decades have witnessed a constant invocation of religion in the arena of politics.There are many an arguments , which regard Secularism as a western concept. This stream is joined by an unexpected quarter of Post Modernists
The Impact Of Fahrenheit 9/11
By John BergerFahrenheit 9/11 is astounding. Not so much as a film - although it is cunning and moving - but as an event.The film, considered as a political act, may be a historical landmark
27 August, 2004
First Signs Of Global Decline Of Oil?
By Adam Porter
New statistics are claiming that oil production in 18 producer countries has passed its peak and is declining faster than previously thought: At about 1.14 million barrels a dayGlobal Warming Means More Frost-Free Days
Frost will become less and less common across much of the world as global warming accelerates. The latest of a series of reports on the real-life effects of climate change shows fewer days and nights when the air temperature dips below freezing
Abu Ghraib Abuse More Wide Spread
By Elise AckermanThe Fay-Jones report revealed that the incidents of abuse - 44 in all - far exceeded the amount of mistreatment shown in the photographs and included 24 serious incidents of physical and sexual abuse
Abu Ghraib: Ordinary Folk or Human Aberrations?
By Linda S. HeardAlthough the Abu Ghraib torturers should be held to account, those further up the chain of command, responsible for the culture in which they worked, should not be exempt
26 August, 2004
Twin Kufa Attack Kills Peaceful Marchers
By AljazeeraTwo attacks in and around Kufa, including one on a mosque has left at least 47 people dead and scores wounded
Oil Price Hike Blessing in Disguise
By Gwynne DyerThe only short-term hope of slowing the global warming is a steep drop in the use of oil and gas — and the only thing that is going to make that happen is a steep rise in price
WTO Tricks
By Devinder SharmaThe July 31 WTO framework agreement, agreed upon by 147- members in Geneva has drawn a structure that needs to be implemented for furthering the Doha Development Agenda.No sooner the details began to be analysed, it became clear that the developing countries had not only been duped but robbed in the daylight
BJP's New Stunt
By Praful BidwaiThe Bharatiya Janata Party has proved to be a bad, terribly peevish, loser. It still behaves as if the last Parliament election were somehow stolen from it
25 August, 2004
Gambling For Greater Israel
By Jonathan FreedlandSharon knows it's time to cash in his chips and claim the prize of Greater Israel, but his party wants to gamble on
A Very Special Kind Of War
By Uri AvneryWhat's going on in occupied territories is a very special war, because it confers rights only on the fighters of one side. On the other side, there is no war, no fighters, and no rights of fighters, but only criminals, terrorists, murderers. Why?
Veer Savarkar : Brave By Half
By Ram PuniyaniThis article was written when Savarka's potrait was unveiled in the Parliament. The article is republished in the context of the latest controversy involving Manishankar Aiyar and the Sangh Parivar
24 August, 2004
Start Learning To Live Without Oil
By George MonbiotThe Age of Entropy is here. We should all now be learning how to live without oil
Public Power In The Age Of Empire
By Arundhati RoyTranscript of full speech by Arundhati Roy in San Francisco, California on August 16th, 2004
The Warlords Of America
By John PilgerMost of the US's recent wars were launched by Democratic presidents. Why expect better of Kerry? The debate between US liberals and conservatives is a fake; Bush may be the lesser evil
Iraqi Editor's Experience In US Custody
By Ahmed JanabiDr Muthana al-Dhari, editor-in-chief of al-Basaer newspaper and media officer of the Association of Muslim Scholars speaks how he was picked by the American military in Baghdad and interrogated in custody
Nader's Raid
By Andrew BuncombeRalph Nader holds a unique position in American politics. Hated by Democrats, adored by his hardcore supporters and now championed by trouble-making Republicans, the 70-year-old consumer rights presidential candidate represents many different things to different people
India's Intifada
By Satya SagarThe rest of India should oppose what is happening to their brethren in the north-east as the Indian State is perpetrating atrocities in their name
23 August, 2004
US Wrecks Middle East Peace
By Conal UrquhartThe US was yesterday accused by Palestinian leaders of destroying hopes for peace in the Middle East by giving its covert support to Israel's expansion of controversial settlements in the West Bank
A Trip To Najaf
By Helen WilliamsHelen Williams writes about an eventful trip to Najaf
Atttack On Dalits At Gumka
By Tamaskar Tandon and Goldy M. GeorgeOn 16th August 2004 nearly 250 Dalits were attacked by caste Hindus numbering about 800 at the village of Gumka, in the Chattisgarh state of India. More than 150 people including 35-40 women are injuried in this gruesome attack. The police and local administration is taking a lethargic attitude towards the culprits. Here is a fact finding report
22 August, 2004
Iraqi Soccer Team Gives Bush The Boot
By Dave ZirinIn an incredible piece by Grant Wahl on Sports Illustrated.com, the Iraqi Olympic Soccer team has issued a stinging rebuke to George W. Bush's attempt to use them as election year symbols
Oil Market Outlook Mired In Confusion
By Adam PorterThe recent announcement by Saudi Arabia that it plans to raise output by 1.3 million barrels per day , was trumpeted across the media. Seemingly this announcement was to ease market pressure and prices
Kufa Still Belongs To The Mehdi
By Donald MacintyreKufa, Najaf's sister city is totally in the control of the Mehdi Army, who patrol the streets with AK-47s, rocket launchers and light machine-guns, many of them with ammunition belts draped over their shoulders
A Taste Of Reality From Baghdad
By Helen WilliamsHelen Williams who is living in Baghdad writes her impressions of a city ravaged by war and sanctions
Gujarat: The Wheels Of Justice Get Moving
By Jyotirmaya SharmaFaced with a hostile Centre, a determined Supreme Court, and an unforgiving set of liberal activists, the Narendra Modi regime will not have it easy in the weeks ahead. Some of the affidavits filed in the riot cases too show up the Gujarat Government
Let's Not Forget Godhra
By Siddharth VaradarajanTwo years after 58 people were killed on board the Sabarmati Express at Godhra, the incident is still shrouded in mystery. It is high time a Central probe was launched into the case
21 August, 2004
What Is So "Radical" About Moqtada Sadr?
By Sharif Hikmat NashashibiCalling Moqtada Sadr a "radical" is not only a misrepresentation of his policies, it is an insult to all those who oppose foreign occupation and domination, religious in-fighting and regional instability
Medics Involved In Torture At Abu Ghraib
By Brian DominickAccording to charges made by an ethicist in a major medical journal, military physicians and medics in Iraq have been complicit or actively engaged in some of the worst known incidents of cruelty, torture and murder
The Trouble With Electing Caesar
By John ChuckmanAmerica's campaign for Emperor is becoming nasty
Still Not Getting By In Bush's America
By Joel WendlandAccording to recent statistics provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, the gap between the rich and poor since 1967 has grown by 75 percent. Approximately 26 million households combined to earn only 3.5 percent of the total income earned by people in the US
Say Yes To Affirmative Action
By Praful BidwaiIndia must emulate and adapt affirmative action methods from the US and post-apartheid South Africa too. To start with, we must ensure jobs for Dalits and Adivasis roughly in proportion to their share in the population
20 August, 2004
What Does Muqtada Al-Sadr Want?
By Juan ColeJuan Cole lists Muqtada Al-Sadr's position from the sermons and interviews he gave in the past 16 months outlining his goals exactly
Israel And US Elections
By Uri AvneryRight from the beginning, the State of Israel has been critically affected by events in the United States. “If America sneezes, Israel catches cold,” is the local version of the universal saying. This is particularly true in the run-up to American elections
America's Moral Dilemma
By Andrew GumbelIn one world they were stripping, abusing and raping Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib, in another world they were despairing over the moral deprivation of an exposed nipple. It has been impossible to ponder the issue of public morality in America these past few months without wondering whether we aren't living in weird parallel universes
Imprisoned Decency
By Arjan El FassedPalestinian prisoners in four different Israeli prisons started an open-ended hunger strike on Sunday to press for better living conditions of the nearly 8,000 Palestinian prisoners
Open Source And Post- Capitalistic Society
By LiberviscoThese global networked movements, such as open source and free software movement are actually forming a third industrial revolution which may crush capitalism as a social structure and finally bring the power to the majority and support the unrestricted growth of technology
When Priests Preside Over Newsrooms
By Chandrabhan PrasadEditors, columnists and anchors must be contemporary in their knowledge of events taking place in the world. If they are ignorant of American diversity, then they are terribly incompetent as media professionals. If they are aware of it but afraid of diversity, then they are terribly casteist
19 August, 2004
Now, Iran Flexes The Muscles
By AljazeeraIranian Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani has warned that Iran might launch a pre-emptive strike to prevent an attack on its nuclear facilities.He said this in an interview with Aljazeera TV on Wednesday
Muqtada Al-Sadr: A Voice Of Resistance
By Ghali HassanThe recent sectarian and ethnic tensions in Iraq are not the product of deep-seated cultural differences. They are the product of Western imperialism and colonialism in the Middle East
As ‘Help The Needy’ Charity Trial Nears,
Case Further Politicizes
By Madeleine BaranIn the eighteen months since Central New York oncologist Rafil Dhafir was arrested and charged with violating the US embargo against Iraq, he has been sitting in a Syracuse jail, ignored by most of the national media, as prosecutors continue to add charges threatening him with a maximum sentence of almost 300 years in prison
Harsud Lost Too
By Angana Chatterji"They stood there, the guards, and ordered me to tear down my home. It felt like my bones were breaking"
18 August, 2004
Sharon Rips Up 'Road-Map'
By Eric SilverIsrael issued tenders yesterday for 1,001 new homes in West Bank settlements, despite its commitment to a building freeze under the international "road-map" for peace. It is expected to publish another 633 within the next few months
Dehumanisation Of The “Other ”
By Ghali HassanWhether in the US, Britain or in Australia, the common “enemy” is the same kind of human who must be despised and excluded. Today it is the “Arabs”; at other times it is the Vietnamese. Negative images of the “others” are fuel for Western colonial war machine
World Faces Population Explosion
By John VidalThe world is heading for wildly uneven population swings in the next 45 years, with many rich countries "downsizing" during a period in which almost all developing nations will grow at breakneck speed
Najaf Prompts Outrage, Talk Of Secession
Among Iraqi Politicians
By Lisa Ashkenaz CrokeFrom the disrupted Iraqi National Conference in Baghdad to the low-key threat of secession from Shi'ite leaders in Southern Iraq, the entire country's future may be determined by events in the holy city of Najaf
Technology For A New Economic System
By Howard Rheingold & Robert D. HofThe tech guru Howard Rheingold sees a "new economic system" in the unconscious cooperation embodied by Google links and Amazon lists
17 August, 2004
Hugo Chávez Triumphs
By Sharmini PeriesPresident Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, first elected in 1998 made democratic history today in a triumphant defeat of the recall referendum on his Presidency
The Importance Of Hugo Chávez
By Tariq AliChavez' victory will have repercussions beyond the borders of Venezuela. It is a triumph of the poor against the rich and it is a lesson that Lula in Brazil and Kirchner in Argentina should study closely
Najaf - City Of Defiance
By Donald MacintyreThey came from across Iraq, marching in solidarity with Shia brothers. Civilians they bear no arms, for the moment anyway who are willing die on the steps of the Imam Ali shrine. Thehuman shields have arrived in Najaf
The Bad or The Terrible?
By George MonbiotThose who insist Nader supporters should vote Kerry are holding back US democratisation
16 August, 2004
Promises Not Kept: 2000 Die Every Day In Darfur
By Norm DixonDespite their public “resolve” and “care” for the people of western Sudan, Western governments are allowing more than 2000 hungry and sick Darfuris to die every single day for want of urgently needed food, medicines and shelter
Tread Softly In Sudan
By Eric MargolisThe worst of Darfur's crisis appears over. Let humanitarian groups do their work. Continuing U.S. attempts to overthrow Sudan's government are only making things worse. Allow Africa to solve its own problems
Anarchy, Not Chaos In The West Bank
By Amira HaasThere's no theft in Nablus. Maybe here and there, but it's not a phenomenon. About half the residents of the town have been impoverished by the tough closure, and the classic tension between the refugee camps has intensified
Acid Test For Being Women
By Ammu JosephNearly 280 women were killed and 750 injured through acid attacks in Pakistan in 2002, according to Human Rights Watch. The Acid Survivors Foundation in Bangladesh recorded 485 such attacks in 2002 alone
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