09 December, 2004
US Rejects
Climate Policy Attacks
By Tim Hirsch
The US has been defending its decision not to take
part in the Kyoto Protocol, just two months before the international
agreement to cut greenhouse gases comes into force. Senior US negotiator
Harlan Watson attacked the treaty as being politically motivated rather
than based on science
Kyoto Will Not
Work, Warns Expert
By Michael McCarthy
The struggle by developed countries to cut back
their emissions of carbon dioxide will always be overtaken by the rising
new emissions of the developing nations, led by China and India, who
are not parties to the Kyoto treaty
Fallujah's Refugees
By Dahr Jamail
With over 300,000 homeless residents of Fallujah
scattered about central Iraq, daily life for these refugees is a reality
filled with searching for food, medical attention, warmth and clean
water
Is
Marwan Barghouti Right To Run?
By Hasan Abu Nimah & Ali Abunimah
Barghouti's candidacy has provoked some very negative
reactions that cast serious doubt on the sincerity of those who have
long been calling on the Palestinians to speed up democratization and
reform as a way to advance the peace proces
How The Gods Fall
By S. Anand
Cold-blooded murders, allegations of child abuse,
sexual harassment. The killing of Sankararaman is one, the closets of
the Kanchi math seem to be full of gory stuff
07 December, 2004
"Jude
Finisterra" Interviewed
By Democracy Now!
Interview with "Jude Finisterra", a member
of the political action group "Yes Men" who in a masterpiece
of subversive journalistic deception forced Dow Chmicals, the present
owner of Union Carbide which caused the worst industrial disaster in
Bhopal, to take responsibility
The Story Behind
The "Yes Men" Breakthrough
By Yes Men
Chronicle of the events that led to the Dow/BBC
fiasco
Nader Attacks
The Liberals
By Julian Borger
"We called them viral liberals - liberals
whose brain closes down to any kind of tactics, strategies and alternative
ways of defeating Bush other than letting the Democrats decide. It was
an absolute brain-closing - a state of being a political zombie."
Fallujah As
A Model City
By Dahr Jamail
The goal of crushing the resistance and creating
stability by destroying Fallujah has gone so well that resistance fighters
here roamed freely about Haifa street today hunting for Iraqis collaborating
with US forces
Dalits Ask For
Justice In West Bengal
By V.B.Rawat
Unlike other states and municipalities where officially
scavenging is prohibited, in progressive Bengal, the Municipal Corporation
feel it is its duty to get the manual scavenging done from the migrant
Balmikis
06 December, 2004
War &
0.9 Billion Under - 5 Infant Mortality
By Gideon Polya
At the end of each year at Christmas the World
gives special reverence to Mother and Child. But how have infants been
treated globally since 1950?
America's Imperial
Wizard Visits Canada
By John Chuckman
In Ottawa, thousands of demonstrators outside were
kept away from Bush's sight, a practice followed wherever the Imperial
Wizard travels
Kinsey: You Never
Know Where
The Visionaries Will Appear
By T. Patrick Donovan
The recent film about Dr. Alfred Kinsey could not
have arrived at a more perfect poltical moment.The heart of the movie
"Kinsey" lies in the powerful cultural-poltical confrontation
between the good doctor and his research institute and the forces of
reactionary moral values and conservative renormalization
Why Gandhi Lost
And Ambedkar Won
By Shivam Vij
Mayawati, Mulayam and Laloo symbolise political
empowerment of 'low' castes, without which you would have had, by now,
a million Naxalite mutinies in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. But economic
empowerment continues to elude large masses of Dalits
The Rs 300-Billion
Club
By Chandrabhan Prasad
Thanks to reservation, there is a Dalit middle
class in India which is a discerning customer of goods and services.
Whatever they earn from the State, they spend on India's private sector.
So, purely from a business angle, shouldn't the private sector come
forward to confront the Rs 300 billion question an embrace reservations
for Dalits!
04 December, 2004
Refugees Tell
Of Life And Death In Fallujah
By Dahr Jamail
Journalists and residents who have fled Fallujah
share accounts of US troops killing unarmed and wounded people; Dahr
Jamail continues interviewing survivors as images of a city under US
assault further emerge
Coporate Responsibility:
Finisterra's Lesson
By Binu Mathew
Jude Finisterra's subversive appearance on BBC
interview on the 20th anniversary of Bhopal gas tragedy created a lot
of embarssment for Dow chemicals, the present owner of Union Carbide
and the major news media around the world. It also reminded the world
the lessons of corporate responsibility and natural justice
The
Creation Of Democratic Opposition
By Justus Leicht
If one were to believe the Western
media, one would conclude that the Ukrainian opposition movement developed
independently as the result of a spontaneous popular movement for liberty
and democracy against a corrupt regime. But a closer look contradicts
the assumption
The Quiet Of
Destruction And Death
By Dahr Jamail
I need another heart and eyes to bear it
because my own are not enough to bear what I saw. Nothing justifies
what was done to this city. I didnt see a house or mosque that
wasnt destroyed.
Lives
Torn Apart In Ramallah
By Charles Stratford
The Israeli Defence Force are in town again. They've
been here all night arresting men suspected of involvement with armed
resistance groups. They bang on doors and pull young Palestinians into
the back of waiting jeeps. They come and go as they please
10 Minutes In
A Life
By S Anand
The Shankaracharya's confessions run the whole
gamut, from murder to math funds Updates
02 December, 2004
Living
Dead Of Bhopal Gas Disaster
By Jeremy Lovell
Two decades after a leak sent clouds of lethal
gas into the homes of hundreds of thousands of poor Indians, the world
has failed to either help the victims or punish the culprits
Bhopal: A Living
Legacy Of Corporate Greed
By Justin Huggler
The Union Carbide factory has never been cleaned
up. It is still poisoning Bhopal. Recent tests showed the chemicals
still at the factory site have contaminated the ground water.There is
mercury lying on the ground inside the site
Deadly Hot Summers
To Become The Norm
By Steve Connor
Blisteringly hot summers similar to the one in
2003 when thousands of people in continental Europe died of heatstroke
will become commonplace because of climate change
'Improved'
Napalm For Falluja
With 'Improved' Effect
By Mike Whitney
The United States is using napalm in Falluja. So
far, the military has denied the allegations, but the proof is mounting
Why
They Love Mahmoud Abbas
By Hasan Abu Nimah
Perhaps Mahmoud Abbas has little choice but to
repeat old clichés about violence and peace. This will no doubt
improve his image and enhance his acceptability as a player in the international
peace process industry, but, again, it will not bring peace any closer
The Brandt Report
By Mohammed Mesbahi
The Brandt Report was well publicized, read and
discussed, but twenty years later none of Brandts recommendations
have been put into practice. The third world has been plunged deeper
and deeper into poverty, hunger and degradation
Injustice At
Indira Sagar Dam
A Report
Independent people's commission's report of the
present situation of displacement, resettlement, relief and rehabilitation,
in the villages and towns affected and submerged as a result of the
the Narmada Sagar Dam in western India, and those that are due to submerge
in the future
01 December, 2004
Neglect
Follows Siege Of Fallujah
By Dahr Jamail
The Iraqi ministry of health is failing to provide
enough support to hundreds of thousands who fled Fallujah, and doctors
in Baghdad are perplexed
Low Crime Rate
In Fallujah
By Dahr Jamail
Allawi continues to insist that violence in Iraq
is decreasing since the siege of Fallujah
Iraq's Health
Care Under US Occupation
By Ghali Hassan
Since the US military invasion and occupation of
Iraq, Iraq's health care system has deteriorated as a result of deliberate
destruction by the US administration. The most vulnerable victims of
this destruction are the Iraqi children, particularly children under
the age of five
Covering Up
US War Crimes
By James Petras
The US mass media reports, the style,
content and especially the language, echo their Nazi predecessors of
70 years ago to an uncanny degree. Coincidence?
What Do
Yushchenko And
Yanukovich Stand For?
By Patrick Richter
Neither of the two official factions fighting for
power in Ukrainethe group led by opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko
and that led by the current prime minister, Viktor Yanukovichrepresents
the interests of the broad masses of the population
Saffronization,
Hinduization Or Brahminization?
By Dr. K. Jamanadas
Neither Safronization nor Hinduization denotes
the true concepts the R.S.S. The proper word must be Brahminization
30 November, 2004
Dollar
Worries
By Nick Beams
As the dollar contiues to fall against all the
major currencies, the onset of a global financial crisis looks imminent
The
Pianist Of Palestine
By Omar Barghouti
I wonder when the time will come when a glamorous,
award-winning director braves predictable intellectual terror and intimidation
tactics to expose the venomous Israeli cocktail of racism and impunity
by making a Palestinian version of The Pianist.
Tired In Baghdad...
By Baghdad Burning
There's a collective exhaustion that seems to have
settled on Baghdad... it feels almost like an epidemic sometimes
'Unusual Weapons'
Used In Fallujah
By Dahr Jamail
Eye witnesses testify that the U.S. military has
used poison gas and other non-conventional weapons against civilians
in Fallujah
Living A Disaster
In Iraq
By Dahr Jamail
The cold winter winds sweep over Baghdad, with
fuel shortages, gun battles, mortar attacks and suicide bombings, life
in Baghdad is a disaster
Kashmir-
A Step Forward
By Beena Sarwar
It is unrealistic to expect any overnight solution
or success in the ongoing dialogue process - which is a process and
not an end in itself. But if we keep our sights fixed firmly on a solution
as the ultimate goal, and include Kashmiris in the process, we will
move towards it
26 November, 2004
Climate
Change: Asia's Nightmare
By David Fogarty
The weather predictions for Asia in 2050 read like
a script from a doomsday movie. In the decades to come Asia, home to
more than half the world's 6.3 billion people, will lurch from one climate
extreme to another, with impoverished farmers battling droughts, floods,
disease, food shortages and rising sea levels
Child Malnutrition
Almost Doubles
After US Invasion
By Rick Kelly
A study conducted by the Fafo Institute for Applied
Social Science found that acute malnutrition among Iraqi children between
the ages of six months and five years has increased from 4 percent to
7.7 percent since the US-led invasion in March last year
Smoking While
Iraq Burns
By Naomi Klein
Its idolisation of 'the face of Falluja' shows
how numb the US is to everyone's pain but its own
Falluja's Health
Damage
By Miles Schuman
While the North American news media have focused
on the military triumph of US Marines in Falluja, little attention has
been paid to reports that US armed forces killed scores of patients
in an attack on a Falluja health center and have deprived civilians
of medical care, food and water
Nearly 21,000
US casualties In Iraq
By Aljazeera
US military's Stars and Stripes European edition
newspaper reports that nearly 21,000 wounded US troops have been treated
at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre from injuries received in Operations
Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom
Police And Communal
Riots
By Vibhuti Narain Rai & Yoginder Sikand
In a normal situation an average Hindu does not
necessarily see the police as friendly or helpful but during communal
riots he looks upon the police as a helper and protector. On the other
hand, Muslim riot victims do not generally feel that they would get
any protection from the police, even when their lives and property are
under threat
25 November, 2004
Ukraine
Erupts In Great Power Rivalries
By Peter Schwarz
The vehemence with which the interests of Russia
and the Western powers collide in the Ukraine recalls the darkest days
of the Cold War. It shows the how strained and explosive relations between
the great powers have become
Eye Witness Account
Farewell To Falluja
By Fadhil Badrani
An Iraqi journalist describes how he escaped from
Falluja which became literally a ghost city under the relentless US
assault
A History Lesson
On Fallujah
By Rashid Khalidi
Fallujah embodies the interrelated tribal, religious
and national aspects of Iraqs history.The Bush administration
is not creating the world anew in the Middle East. It is waging a war
in a place where history really matters
Global Warming
Fight To Get Harder From 2012
By Alister Doyle
Fighting global warming will get tougher once the
Kyoto protocol ends in 2012 and the world must try to get Washington
involved in the long term
Water Wars
By Mohammed Mesbahi
In the year 2000 private water corporations operated
in 100 countries and 10% of the worlds water was privatised.In
May 2000 Fortune Magazine predicted that water would become one
of the worlds biggest business opportunities
Bush
And Sharon After Arafat
By Uri Avnery
Let no one have any illusions: Sharon will use
every means, overt and covert, in order to destroy any "moderate"
Palestinian leadership. His natural ally is Hamas, which opposes any
negotiations with Israel. As of now, Abu-Mazen is Enemy No. 1
24 November, 2004
Killing
A 13 Year Old
By Chris McGreal
An Israeli army officer who repeatedly shot a 13-year-old
Palestinian girl in Gaza dismissed a warning from another soldier that
she was a child by saying he would have killed her even if she was three
years old
The Arabs Of Israel:
Citizens
Without Citizenship
By Am Johal
While the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip are in the news every day with stories of the Occupation, the
Arab citizens of Israel are mired in a similar but different struggle
Allawi's Dictatorship
By Dahr Jamail
The rule of Ayad Allawi, the U.S. appointed interim
prime minister of Iraq, is now more in the style of the dictatorship
of Saddam Hussein than a leader of a supposedly democratic state
Fallujah And
The Laws Of War
By Richard Hoffman
Even as US forces launch new offensives against
Iraqi cities, the flow of reports of serious war crimes committed by
the American military in the assault on Fallujah continues
The Life And
Mysterious Murder
Of Margaret Hassan
By Ghali Hassan
Many people called for the release of Margaret
Hassan. However, some voices are conspicuous by their absence: the White
House and the Allawi puppet government. Neither has said a word. The
British Prime Minister Tony Blair was ready to attack the Iraqi Resistance,
but did nothing to free Margaret Hassan
Election Questions
Build Toward Recount
By Greg Guma
Charges of voting irregularities during the U.S.
presidential election continue to snowball. As pressure builds for a
recount in Ohio, the voting rights group Election Verification Project
claims that the record use of electronic voting machines led to hundreds
of anomalies
Consuming The
World's Fossil Fuels
By Mohammed Mesbahi
If we do not switch to renewable energy sources
sun, wind, wave, geothermal and hydro, demand for fossil fuel
will increase, in tandem with a decline in supplies, resulting in global
economic chaos and an uncontrollable runaway greenhouse effect. Our
world could be reduced to a hot, Venus-like desert within the lifetime
of our grand children
Trespass Against
Us
By Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman
Twenty Things to Know About Dow Chemical on the
20th Anniversary of Bhopal
Big Winner
In Indian Elections
Remains Best Kept Secret
By Thomas C. Mountain
The BSP increased the percentage of the national
vote total it recieved in 2004 to 5.35% from 4.17% in 1999, over 25%,
continuing a trend by increasing its percentage of the popular vote
by nearly 50% since the 1996 election
23 November, 2004
Hollow
Victory In Falluja
By Scott Taylor
In reporting that six police stations in Mosul
had been overrun, no explanation was given as to how 5000 American-paid
Iraqi police could have been "overwhelmed" without a single
casualty on either side. Such collusion between police and fighters
was evident in a number of other cities within the rebellious Sunni
triangle
Iraqi Critics
Speak Out On Occupation, Elections
By Dahr Jamail
While debate continues in the United States about
how best to manage the occupation and nation building of Iraq, the ideas
of Iraqis on the matter of what is to happen in their country have been
all but completely muted in the West
SHOUT OUT, "NO
MORE!"
By Ted Bohne
How many more BILLIONS of dollars will we give
to a feckless thug and his mob before we SHOUT OUT, "NO MORE!"
Or will we continue to mumble and write because we want someone else
to do it
Missing
Arafat
By Uri Avnery & Ari Shavit
Uri Avnery speaks about a world with and without
Yasser Arafat
Biofuels Would
Be A Disaster
By George Monbiot
The adoption of biofuels would be a humanitarian
and environmental disaster
Swami And Fiends
By S. Anand
Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati's arrest for
murder brings other ungodly affairs to the fore
Indias Foreign
Policy In The Gutter
By S.Faizi
As the mercilessly unipolar world desperately wishes
for a balancing world player India is just not there where it should
have been-as a moderating global force, on the strength of its democratic
resilience, cultural diversity, relative economic autonomy and sheer
immensity