30 September , 2012
Solidarity For Anti-Nuclear Struggle Pours In From Around The World
By Citizens Of The World
As citizens of the world we have been watching with awe, inspiration and great concern as masses of Indian people have risen up to confront the corrupt partnership of the Indian government and nuclear industry at the Koodankulam and Jaitapur nuclear sites. We have joined in solidarity with the organizers of this movement to resist the nuclear madness in India and in our respective homelands
Treatment Of Anti-Nuclear Activists In India
By Masahiro Watarida, Shinsuke Nakai & Yoko Unoda
Joint letter written by three Japanese anti-nuclear activists who tried to visit India in solidarity with Koodankulam anti-nuclear movement and deported on the September 25th
Just A Word Away, From Dr. Kalam To Women Of Idinthakarai
By Anitha.S
From Dr.Kalam to the women of the coastal villages, Koodankulam is just a word away. And if you change it from a God’s project to a God’s gift a whole world is gained instead of a few megawatts of power
Aipac: Israel's Agent Feeling Squeezed?
By Franklin Lamb
The American Israel public affairs committee (AIPAC) has seen headier days according to US congressional staffers forced to work regularly with the pro-Zionist agent of Israel. The grip of fear and the lock on Congress that the Israel first organization has long touted in its service to Israel may be weakening against a backdrop of American Jews rejecting the increasing rants of Prime Minister Netanyahu that are driving many Jews to distance themselves from him, from AIPAC, from other Arabphobic US Zionist organizations, and from Israel
Climate Crisis Threatens Food Security Of Iran , Kuwait , Libya , Maldives ,
Togo , Comoros And Many Other Countries
By Countercurrents.org
Seafood and fish provide protein to more than a billion of the poorest people around the world. But climate crisis is threatening seafood and fish in gulfs, seas and oceans. As a result, countries dependent mainly on fish and seafood are threatened
Species Loss Increases Vulnerability To Climate Crisis
By Countercurrents.org
Species loss and reduced biodiversity make nature more vulnerable to climate change. On the other hand, biodiversity bears hope
Bombs In The Atlantic And Pacific Coasts, Shipping Threatened
By Countercurrents.org
Millions of pounds of unexploded bombs and other military ordnance that were dumped decades ago in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as off the coasts of both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, could now pose serious threats to shipping lanes and the 4,000 oil and gas rigs in the Gulf, warns two Texas A&M University oceanographers
Blair Could Have Stopped Iraq War: Kofi Annan
By Countercurrents.org
Kofi Annan, former UN secretary general says: Tony Blair could ultimately have stopped Iraq war. Annan has made news headlines as his memoir is lunched. On the occasion, in interviews, and in the memoirs, Interventions – A Life in War and Peace , he made a number of interesting observations that reveal inner-face of world power players
Delisting MKO: U.S. Officially Taking Up Arms Against Iran
By Kourosh Ziabari
In an act of unequivocal and explicit hostility toward Iran , the United States took the name of Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) off its list of foreign terrorist organizations on Friday, September 28, showing its unconditional support to the sworn enemies of the Iranian nation straight from the shoulder
Another Third Party: The New Constitution Party
By Roger Copple
If average Americans, the 99%, can unite in getting just this one Twenty-Eighth Amendment proposal for revising Article V passed, a new Constitutional Democratic Republic of the people, by the people, and for the people can become a living reality, and not just a pipe dream
One In Four Americans Live In Poverty. What Has Gone Wrong With The American Dream?
By Devinder Sharma
It is the flawed economic model that has probably outlived it's utility. It is the betrayal by the educated, including the mainline economists and the rating agencies, who have relentlessly worked hard to justify the wrongs. It is the all pervasive intellectual corruption, an art perfected by academicians, management gurus and policy makers, that has seduced the people to believe that the only path to progress is through growth economics
Resisting Extrajudicial Execution In Manipur
By Neena Ningombam
Extrajudicial Execution Victim Families Association, Manipur (EEVFAM) is an organization of widows and mothers of those killed by police and security forces. EEVAM has given the victims strength to face the world with dignity and grace
Are The Indian Police A Law Unto Themselves? (PDF)
By K.S. Subramanian
A Rights-Based Assessment
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy: Some Reflections
By K.S Subramanian
Some suggestions for police training reforms in India
Who Is In Whose Land?
By Ram Puniyani
Thackeray Family’s Bihar Connection
Justice For Rizana Nafeek
By Fil Munas
I want to tell you, and from your mouth to God’s ear, the tragic tale of Rizana Nafeek, an inconsequential and faceless housemaid from Sri Lanka who is presently incarcerated and awaiting public execution by beheading in Saudi Arabia
Implementation of UID/Aadhaar/NPR Related Projects Must Be Audited
By Gopal Krishna
Letter to Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) of India seeking audit of implementation of UID/Aadhaar/NPR related projects like unified payment infrastructure without any constitutional, legal and historical basis
29 September , 2012
Brutality Of The State Exposed On Fabricated Cases
By Fabriacted.in
It has been established beyond doubt that the Indian police and investigative agencies have for years run a systematic campaign to brutalize citizens by way of punishing them for defending their homeland, farms and communities, or for simply belonging to a certain community that is labeled as being involved in terrorism’ said the interim jury recommendations at a two day peoples hearing on fabricated cases at the Constitution Club. Jury members included Justice Rajinder Sachar Dr. Ram Puniyani, Dr. Binayak Sen and journalists Saba Naqvi and Ajit Shahi
India's Gargantuan Biometric Database Raises Big Questions
By Rebecca Bowe
A biometric data collection program of this scale, particularly in the absence of an existing data protection law, presents serious risks to individuals’ privacy. Rather than improving people’s lives, Aadhaar could place their highly sensitive personal information at risk
Koodankulam's Children: Growing Up With Struggle
By Anitha.S
Children from Koodankulam tell their side of the story
Seven River Basins Likely To Face Significant Water Scarcity By 2050
By Countercurrents.org
Seven of the ten river basins including the Ganges, Yangtze , Niger and Danube are likely to face significant water scarcity by 2050
Beware Of Air In EU, It's Dangerous
By Countercurrents.org
Almost a third of Europe's city dwellers are exposed to excessive concentrations of microscopic particles, known as particulate matter, one of the most important pollutants in terms of harm to human health as it penetrates sensitive parts of the respiratory system, said the Air quality in Europe — 2012 report , a European Environment Agency report
Profiling Creates Easy Targets for Hate Crimes
By Prabhjot Singh& Mallika Kaur
The fact is, if turbans were worn by a large number of Americans, they would probably be given the same consideration as given to trousers at the TSA checkpoint. The TSA must stop contributing an environment where some Americans are painted as the “other” and become easy targets of anger and hate
Warlords Are Coercing The Mankind
By Mahboob A. Khawaja
The question is how soon the global citizenry will see an end to this monstrous mindsets and act of belligerency against the interest of the global mankind and its futuristic survival?
Neocon American And Zionist Imperialist Lies In Obama UN General Assembly Speech
By Dr Gideon Polya
The present American President Barack Obama, currently the world's number one active terrorist, war criminal, warmonger, opiate drug warlord, Zionist lackey and mass murderer, made a speech to the United General Assembly that is breathtaking for its dishonest obfuscation of reality and for its lies of omission and commission (Big Lies)
From Pepsico To Wal-mart: Selling A Fake Dream
By Devinder Sharma
Having spent Rs 52-crore in two years for lobbying alone, and after the recent New York Times exposure showing how Wal-Mart bribed its way to control 50 per cent of the retail market in Mexico, the Union Cabinet finally allowed big retail to set shop. If Wal-mart could bribe its way in Mexico, what makes us think they have not been able to do so in India?
World Premiere of Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey With Mumia Abu-Jamal
By Angola 3 News
An interview with filmmakers Noelle Hanrahan and Steve Vittoria
28 September , 2012
Israeli Prime Minister Lays Out Path To War With Iran
By Joseph Kishore
In a bellicose speech before the United Nations Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded a “red line” be placed on Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, outlining a plan of action that would lead to war next year, if not sooner
US Military Brands Assange, WikiLeaks As “The Enemy”
By Bill Van Auken
Secret US Air Force documents reveal that the American military has branded WikiLeaks and its editor Julian Assange as “the enemy”, placing them on a legal par with Al Qaeda and threatening them with the same treatment: indefinite detention without trial, and death
Oil spill: French Oil Giant Total Convicted
By Countercurrents.org
The Court of Cassation , France 's highest appeal court, on Tuesday upheld French energy giant Total's conviction for negligence arising from the 1999 shipwreck of the oil-tanker Erika
Obama At UN: On Rhetoric And Actions
By Jim Miles
After beginning his speech with a nice homespun heartfelt story about U.S. diplomat Chris Stevens, Obama turned the rest of his speech into a series of lies that are all too common in U.S. rhetoric, lies that are concealed by fine sounding platitudes and homilies. Some of the lies are direct, but there are also lies of concealment, avoidance, wilful ignorance, and perhaps, genuine ignorance
Start Speaking For Us, About Us …
Letter From The Women Of Koodankulam
Illegal Logging Valued At US $30-100 Billion
By Marianne de Nazareth
The latest ‘scam' revealed by UNEP, that there is organized crime trade worth over US$30 Billion which is responsible for up to 90% of tropical deforestation, still has the power to shock. From Illegal logging to timber laundering, the UNEP report spotlights almost 30 methods of procuring and laundering illegal timber compromising climate mitigation and sustainable development efforts
Islamophobia: The Heat of Empire And The Flames of Intolerance
By Colin Todhunter
In the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels said that a revolutionary spectre was haunting Europe. They were of course referring to communism. Fast forward 164 years, and an entirely different type of spectre now haunts both Europe and the US - Islamophobia
Since When Has America Respected The Universal Right To Self-Determination?
By Sean Fenley
In my humble opinion, Mr. President, the United States has certainly not diligently respected a nation’s right to self-determination, and not only that your excellency, but the United States continues to disrespect that right to many “subaltern” nations continually, at the present sir — indeed right up until this very day. In fact, Mr. President, the United States persists in exercising many of its diktats, mandates, and domination over many of these same “inferior” nations unremittingly today
27 September , 2012
Assange To UN: US Must Replace 'Fine Words' With Action
By Julian Assange
It is time for the US to cease its persecution of WikiLeaks, to cease its persecution of our people, and to cease its persecution of our alleged sources.- video and full transcript of Julian Assange’s address to UN delegates
"Iran Committed To Peace, World Powers Pursue Arms Race"
By President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Video and Transcript of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech to UN General Assembly
Calling All Activists: Occupy For Seed Freedom (Oct. 2-16)
By Mickey Z.
Calling all activists to participate in " Seed Freedom", a fortnight of action from October 2-16
That Defining Moment: On Anti-Muslim Films, Cartoons And My Gaza Neighbor
By Ramzy Baroud
When I saw Pakistani, Afghani, Yemeni, Lebanese and other protesters rallying against the constant provocation emanating from western countries, I couldn’t help but think of Ghassan. Demanding Muslims to become more ‘tolerant’ as their most sacred symbols are being desecrated, while the smoke of NATO bombs continues to fill the Afghani-Pakistani horizon, is not much different than demanding an unemployed, broken and despairing man to sit on all fours, bark like a dog and repeat slurs targeting Prophet Mohammed
Salam Fayyad, The World Bank And The Oslo Game
By Neve Gordon
Most Palestinian analysts maintain that the Oslo agreements are to blame for the collapse of the Palestinian economy
Major Shifts In Pacific Ecosystems By 2100
By Countercurrents.org
A new study examines the distribution of open ocean animals in the North Pacific and explores how that could change over the next century as global ocean temperatures increase and productivity levels shift. The researchers conclude that some critical ocean habitats could undergo significant changes in location, moving more than 600 miles from where they are now, while other habitats could remain relatively unchanged
Bank Profits From Food Speculation
By Countercurrents.org
Citing research from the World Development Movement The Independent 's report “Barclays makes £500m betting on food crisis”. Barclays is the UK bank with the greatest involvement in food commodity trading and is one of the three biggest global players, along with the US banking giants Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley
Commercial Agriculture “Contributes” To Deforestation
By Countercurrents.org
In Latin America , commercial agriculture is responsible for 2/3 of all cut forests while in Africa and tropical Asia commercial agriculture and subsistence agriculture both account for one third of deforestation. Mining, infrastructure and urban expansion are important drivers worldwide
Fabricated Cases Under The Scanner
By Fabricated.in
People’s jury to hear violations of fundamental rights by the state from 28-29 September
26 September , 2012
Obama Uses UN Speech To Threaten War Against Iran
By Bill Van Auken
President Barack Obama postured before the United Nations Tuesday as the champion of peace and democracy, while threatening war against Iran and demanding a crackdown against the wave of anti-US demonstrations that have swept the Middle East
Rev. Dr. King versus Frightening And Deadly Hypocrisy In Obama's UN Address
By Jay Janson
Passages are quoted from Obama's address to the 67th UN General Assembly alongside passages from Martin Luther King's world shocking sermon Beyond Vietnam - a Time to Break Silence. From the sour feeling in one's own gut while listening to the absurdities, one assumes that the President himself must have a strong stomach to be able to speak such preposterous untruth with a straight and stern face. Obama's falsifications noted
India Based Neutrino Observatory: Potential Geological, Radiological And Biological Impacts
By VT Padmanabhan
A unique science laboratory is coming up deep inside the mountains in Idukki-Theni districts of Kerala and Tamilnadu in India for neutrino research. It has several potential geological, radiological and biological Impacts
An Epitaph For The Living
By Anitha.S
A month and a half ago, the bold people of Idintakarai condoled the death of democracy by hoisting black flags and carrying the body amidst loud crying and melancholoic drum beats. This was on August 15,2012, the 66th anniversary of Indian Independence. Today after a month, the situation in the village has changed- changed so much that one could hardly recognize the intensity of pain and trauma
Fact Finding Report On The Tragic Events In Koodankulam (PDF)
Report of the Fact-Finding team’s visit to Idinthakarai and other villages on September 20-21, 2012
Money Makes The World Go Round? Dollar Hegemony In The Empire Of The Damned
By Colin Todhunter
The US economy appears to be in terminal decline. The only way to prop it up is by lop-sided trade agreements or by waging war to secure additional markets and resources and to ensure the dollar remains the world reserve currency. Humankind is currently facing a number of serious problems. But an empire in decline armed to the teeth with both conventional and nuclear weapons and trapped in a cycle of endless war in what must surely be a futile attempt to stave off ruin is the most serious of all
“I Picture A Dead Arab”: In Disturbing Video, Israeli Children’s Words Echo Indoctrination
By Ali Abunimah
How did it feel to imagine killing Arabs? “I felt happy” one girl answers. She was one of several children who spoke about committing acts of violence in this video shot at the Israeli army museum by Israeli satirical filmmaker Itamar Rose. But the children’s answers – in Hebrew and subtitled in English – are serious
More Than A Single Silly Video
By Jim Taylor
The places where anti-American riots have taken place all have honour/shame cultures. Their primary motivation is the honour – more precisely, the dishonour -- of the entire family, the tribe, the clan, the nation. To dishonour any member of that culture is to dishonour the whole culture. And obviously, to dishonour the culture's iconic prophet is to dishonour everyone
The Benghazi-Botch And No Retreat Now
By Farooque Chowdhury
A few unresolved old questions have once again been raised by the tragic incident in Benghazi
We Have Breached The First Tipping Point
By John James
We cannot hide our heads and pretend there is still time left to change this world into a better place. From here on we will be more and more at the mercy of the grim forces we have unleashed. If we continue to direct our efforts towards modifying the rush to insanity, we will have wasted our time and will be thrashed by the outcome. It is now time to become Survivors
Target Iran: Drawing Red Lines In The Sand, A Review
By Charles Foerster
On September 11th, William J. Cox, historian, journalist and author, released his e-book, "Target Iran: Drawing Red Lines in the Sand". Not being a for-profit endeavor, it is available online and can be downloaded for free. Don't let the cost frighten you away, the message is penetrating and invaluable, if only our congress would listen. They should, for it is about three of their favorite subjects; death, debt and destruction
The Way To The Meadow: A Review
By Dr. M Ashraf Bhat
Judging from the two dozen odd reviews that it has garnered so far, The Meadow by the British journalists, Adrian Levy & Cathy Scott-Clark, is quite contentious despite impressive evidence of the very thorough research which has gone into its making. My review, however, is different from other such assessments in one significant way: the events narrated in the book simply happened around me
Converting Mischief Into Political History
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
A book written by a former minister in NDA government Mr Sanjay Paswan, on Babu Jagjivan Ram portraying him as a great ‘Nationalist’ has a hidden agenda of denigrating Ambedkar. Some of the ‘revelations’ are mischievous and absolutely farcical and need to be countered. They are repetition of what Arun Shourie wrote long back in his book on Ambedkar
Miscarriage Of Justice Towards Maruti Suzuki Workers And Their Families
By PUDR
Based upon its preliminary investigation, PUDR asserts that instead of a thorough investigation into the alleged murder of Awanish Dev, Manager, Maruti Suzuki Ltd’s Manesar plant on 18 July 2012, the Haryana police have been responsible for arbitrary arrests of workers, illegal detention and harassment of their family members as well as custodial violence
25 September , 2012
Ocean Waters Globally Rising, Two-Decades Of Satellite Data Re-Affirms
By Countercurrents.org
After reviewing almost two-decades of satellite data scientists have re-affirmed: With major regional variations the ocean waters are rising globally.Incorporating the data from a number of spacecraft, the study re-affirms that ocean waters globally are rising by just over 3mm/yr. But that figure, according to the reassessment, hides some very big regional differences - up and down. The Philippine Sea , for example, has seen increases in excess of 10mm/yr
People Bury Themselves At Koodankulam
By Countercurrents.org
Villagers Pro of Idinthakarai buried themselves in symbolic graves. Several people dug a grave and buried themselves as hundreds of wailing women and children looked on
Hopes And Fears Of An Activist's Family
By Meera Udayakumar
Meera wife of S P Udayakumar, the leading activist of the anti-nuclear protests in Koodankulam, talks about her hopes and fears
A Crucible of Political Disenchantment: “Dismiss Whatever Insults Your Own Soul”
By Phil Rockstroh
Weltschmerz (from German; from Welt (world) + Schmerz (pain) delineates the type of sadness experienced when the world revealed does not reflect the image of the world that one believes, or has been led to believe, should exist. The corporate/consumer state (as well as, its scion, the present day presidential election cycle) has brought us, as a people, into a wilderness of weltschmerz
The Missionary Position – Excavations Of An Unruly Past
By Dave Bennett
In times of catastrophe, people instinctively seek out a community they know – and that’s likely to be a religious community; but it could, as well, be a union or a Humanist (read Atheist) Society. As the possibilities of catastrophe – climate, financial crash, global warfare – increase, it is my fervent wish that people of good will can put aside differences of religion and recognize their common humanity
Protest Against Islamophobia
By Ghali Hassan
While the Sydney protest will further marginalise an already marginalised Muslim community, there will always be protests against deep-seated Islamophobia and Western wars of aggression against Muslim nations. The only way forward is a world based on peaceful coexistence regardless of religion, ethnic backgrounds and political affiliations
Western Exceptionalism
By Mir Adnan Aziz
Today, we see Washington on a rampage to realize these words from historian Gordon Wood: ‘our beliefs in liberty, equality, constitutionalism, and the well-being of ordinary people came out of the Revolutionary era; so too, did our idea that we Americans are a special people with a special destiny to lead the world toward liberty and democracy’. This fallacious sentiment, coined ‘American exceptionalism’, has become Washington’s mantra; it has wrought death and misery on billions
Letter To African Nations Urging Opposition To Australia's Bid For UN Security Council Seat
By Dr Gideon Polya
Australia 's PM Julia Gillard and its Foreign Minister Bob Carr are in New York lobbying African and other countries to support an Australian seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Anti-racist Australians who deplore Australia's blind support for the Zionist-backed US War on Muslims (12 million Muslim deaths from violence or war-imposed deprivation since 1990) and the ongoing Palestinian Genocide by race-based, genocidal Apartheid Israel (2 million Palestinian deaths from violence or violently imposed deprivation since 1936) must urge African nations to vote AGAINST an Australian seat on the UNSC
Amid Franco-German Clash IMF Chief Warns: Eurozone, "The Epicenter" Of
Global Economic Worries, More Growth Cuts
By Countercurrents.org
As Angela Merkel, German chancellor, and Francois Hollande, French president, clashed Saturday over plans to allow the EU's rescue funds to lend directly to banks instead of through member countries, which would add to their debt woes Christine Lagarde, IMF chief, warned: The eurozone remains "the epicenter" of global economic worries, and global growth would "likely be a bit weaker" than anticipated
Monsoon Came In Late But Was In No Hurry To Leave
By Devinder Sharma
In the midst of all the noise and din over the approval of FDI in multi-brand retail, comes the bad news. Despite the revival of monsoon in late Aug and September, the acreage under kharif sowings remains dismally short by 55.62 lakh hectares. While the area and production of paddy has not been severely impacted, it is coarse cereals, kharif pulses and oilseeds like groundnut which will record lower production
Should Women Have A Share In Their Husband’s “Hard-Earned” Income?
By Devika Mittal
A take on the proposed Indian law where a woman may get a monthly salary from her husband for the household work
24 September , 2012
Melting Ice In The Arctic Unleashes Race For Profits
By Ernst Wolff
Arctic sea ice extent dropped to the lowest level ever recorded, bottoming out at 3.41 million square kilometres (1.31 million square miles) on September 16, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). That is 49 percent below the average minimum recorded during the 1980s and 1990s. While these troubling statements tend to frighten most people, international investors are already rubbing their hands. The largest ice melt in the recent history of mankind means gaining access to a part of the world that was previously closed to them
The Rapidly Melting Himalayan Glaciers
By Countercurrents.org
Remember those infamous Himalayan glaciers? The ones which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC's) erroneously predicted would have disappeared by 2035, doing grave damage to the reputation of climate science? New research suggests that they are rapidly melting after all as the world warms up
Climate Crisis Deniers Confuse The Average American Mind
By Countercurrents.org
Media is powerful. Section of media manipulates. In the US, section of media misinforms, spreads disinformation. The climate crisis and the average American citizens’ attitude to the climate change issue is the evidence. Section of capital uses media in this misinformation
Iran: Automatic Escalation To World War III?
By John Scales Avery
Netanyahu is unquestionably a madman. Must we allow the actions of one insane person to start a conflict that could lead to the deaths of ourselves and our children?
Myths About Industrial Agriculture
By Vandana Shiva
Our 25 years of experience in Navdanya shows that ecological, organic farming is the only way to produce food without harming the planet and people's health. This is a trend that will grow, no matter how many pseudo-scientific stories are planted in the media by the industry
Refusing Capitalism
By Colin Todhunter
We must move away from the headlong drive towards urbanization in places like India and falsely equating well-being or ‘happiness’ with addiction to consumer goods. This shift involves rejecting the goods and services being forced upon us by large, powerful corporate interests, while placing more emphasis on self-sustaining local communities in which bio-diverse, organic agriculture and local food sovereignty is central and where there is sustainable use of the environment. And this is as true for the rich countries as it is for the poorer ones
Degrowth And Peak Oil
By Ugo Bardi
Peak oil has arrived and we are now in the post peak world. It is an event that is taking place slowly, over several years, but I think we can say with reasonable certainty that the petroleum production peak was in 2008
Fifteen Issues This Election Is NOT About
By Bill Quigley
Fifteen issues the candidates talk or care about
That Would Be Really Hard
By Rosemarie Jackowski
Now Mrs. Romney makes the "Stop it. This is hard." statement. "This is hard". Really? Actually it looks like fun to many of us - jetting around the countryside
Freedom Of Speech: Insults, Incitement And Islam
By Graham Peebles
Across the Muslim World there is rightly outrage and hurt at the latest calculated attack on Islam, in the form of the film trailer Innocence of Muslims. All who hold human rights and moral decency close to their heart share their indignation
Protest And Honor Killings: Women In This World
By Countercurrents.org
The world encounters the reality it creates: women commoditized, dishonored, killed. Protests arise also. Faces, types, motivations, styles and languages of the protests differ. A few of those are commoditized also. Philosophy, ideology and class character, fundamental questions, shape the protests
Yemeni Women Are Now Worse Off, Half Of The Population Doesn’t Have Enough Food
By Countercurrents.org
Women in Yemen are worse off now than a year ago, says Oxfam International. The World Food Program says 10 million Yemenis, nearly half the population, do not have enough food to eat
US War Agenda: Coke or Goldman Sachs, What's Your Poison?
By Colin Todhunter
Western ‘liberal democracy’ has nothing to do with empowering people and everything to do with enslaving them and making them blind to the chains that bind them. It is the powerful foundations and think tanks headed or funded by private corporations that drive US policies and its war agenda
One Year After Troy Davis, More Injustice On Death Row
By Mary Shaw
September 21 marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Troy Davis. Davis was executed by the state of Georgia for a crime he probably did not commit. Now Missouri is pursuing a very similar case, with death row inmate Reggie Clemons. Pennsylvania, death row inmate Terrance Williams faces an October 3 execution date
Kerala, Say We Do Not Want This Bad Electricity
By Anitha.S
As Kerala waits for the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant to complete fuel loading and start receiving 500 instead of the promised 266 MW of electricity to solve our so called Power Crisis, the struggle against Nuclear Energy demands this slogan of us: “Kerala, SAY WE DO NOT WANT THIS BAD ELECTRICITY.”
Book Review: “The Shock Of The New” By Robert Hughes (1938-2012) –
Modern Art, War & Society
By Dr Gideon Polya
Expatriate Australian art critic Robert Hughes died on 6 August 2012, aged 74. It is appropriate to remember this impressive Australian by re-reviewing his important book “The Shock of the New” (1980) that analyzes the revolutions in Modern Art since the late 19th century
$20 Billion Fund For Women's And Children's Health
By Marianne de Nazareth
It is indeed exciting news that The Global Strategy for Women’s and Children's Health has received about $20 billion in new money, according to a new report from The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH)
Field Based Experience On The Education System In The Village
By Tahiba Khan
Story of a Rajasthan village
22 September , 2012
Koodankulam Protesters Lay Siege To Thoothukudi Harbor
By Countercurrents.org
Thousands of fishermen Saturday blocked the approach channel to the Thoothukudi Harbor with their boats to protest against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP). At Idinthakarai village in Tirunelveli district, people formed a human chain protesting against the nuclear reactor
Koodankulam Protesters Need Your Help
By Anitha S
Koodankulam protesters need urgent support and help
Can We Stop The Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant?
By Anitha.S
“Why not turn this whole Power Plant into a museum for science and technology with focus on energy? Why insist on Nuclear energy which is not clean or safe?”, asked the young fishermen who had assembled at the tea shop in Idintakarai village one evening
US Blames Libya Attack On Al Qaeda-Linked Forces It Previously Backed
By Alex Lantier
US officials investigating the September 11 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi now suspect it may have been carried out by Al Qaeda-linked forces that Washington backed during last year’s NATO war to topple Libyan Colonel Muammar Gaddafi
New Challenges Grip Lebanon’s Palestinian Camps
By Franklin Lamb
What is required without further delay is for an urgent stakeholders meeting to be convened. Including the PLO factions, local and international NGO’s, Donors, the Palestine Red Crescent Society, UNRWA, EU and UN groups as well as local political parties in order quickly produce an executable plan avoiding duplications, to address these needs
I Have Repeatedly Received Death Threats – Frederica Jansz
By Nilantha Ilangamuwa
Founder hacked to death in daylight , his successor sacked ; the future of the “Sunday Leader” questioned. Interview with the former editor-in-chief of the Sunday Leader , Frederica Jansz
Large Dams And Climate Crisis
By Countercurrents.org
Climate crisis is creating uncertainties, in many areas, especially to the world of water. No continent will be harder hit by climate crisis than Africa
Iran: The US Senate Vote And Restrictions On Women Education
By Countercurrents.org
In Iran, a raft of restrictions on courses open to female students has been introduced, raising questions about the rights of women to education in Iran
CAG Of India 's Most-Missed Responsibilities On Environmental-Concern
By Anurag Modi
While, Comptroller Auditor General's of India (CAG) has been able to raise the financial-standard, which was much needed in a country reeling under rampant corruption, it has left the much required environmental-standards, continued to be viewed as mere procedural-burden
21 September , 2012
Fuelling Of Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant Has Begun
By People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy
Atomic Energy Regulatory Commission (AERB) has given clearance for the fuel loading in the first unit of the KKNPP. It is reliably learnt now that the Nuclear Power Corporation India Limited (NPCIL) has started the loading process
Dangers At Koodankulam
By S.G.Vombatkere
The dangers present at Koodankulam, Idinthakarai and surrounding areas are several, but they can be separated into two categories, namely dangers as seen by government and as seen by people. This is not to imply that government is not legitimate, because it has been elected by the people. But from what follows it is apparent that government is not for the people
Stories From Koodankulam: Saheer, Waiting For Mother
By Anitha S
Story of Saheer and Shyamili whose mother is in jail for agitating against Koodankulam nuclear power plant
How Much Degrowth Is Enough - Video By Jack Alpert
By Countercurrents.org
This short video by Jack Alpert is worth every minute of viewing
All These Volatile Days
By Farooque Chowdhury
The war, virtually, is being waged from Pakistan to Syria, a large theater that touches fringe of Europe. Lebanon, Jordan, Kurdistan, Turkey, all have been made active party to the conflagration. Turkey has started taking hits. Lebanon is charged. The moment of formal burst out is unknown there
The East China Sea Is Turning Tense
By Countercurrents.org
With the deployment of Japanese and Chinese paramilitary patrol ships the East China Sea is turning tense. At the same time, South Korea's navy fired warning shots Friday toward North Korean fishing boats
International Peace Day From Kabul, Afghanistan
By Johnny Barber
In this electoral season, choosing between Obama and Romney is a huge distraction, there is real work to be done. Our perverse system of endless war needs to be dismantled, our culture realigned. We need to begin again. War is over. Peace is the path
Overpopulation: Food Crisis And Future Hunger Wars
By Rolly Montpellier
Not only is our world facing rising population and increasing food demand, but this is happening as we start to come to terms with climate change
Wake Up: Reject The Two-Party Plutocracy
By Joel S. Hirschhorn
Here we go again. Millions of Americans will soon vote for either the Republican or Democratic presidential candidate not because they deeply believe that he is absolutely the best possible president the country needs and can have. No, they will know that they are compromising and choosing the lesser of two evils, mainly because most people know that both major parties and their candidates stink. The lesser evil is still a loser
On The Appeal of Anarchism, A Response to Don Smith’s
“Are Anarchists in Occupy Aiding Grover Norquist?”
By Dave Fryett
The short answer, of course, is no. One might think that the title of Smith’s confused article is preposterous enough to render rebuttal unnecessary, but the questions posed are familiar and important ones, and worthy of attention
People Strike In Greece, But The Rulers Are Selling Everything Saleable
By Countercurrents.org
Debt ridden Greece is going to sell everything saleable: islands, palaces, royal estates, embassies. It’s part of a program for privatizing public property. It’s, “occupy [the] country and […] buy up [the] country at rock-bottom prices”. On the other pole, police, judges, public transport workers, physicians, tax workers, are striking. People are telling: “If we don’t have strikes how we will pursue our rights?
Occupy Wall Street, Year 2: We Know What We Want
By Mickey Z.
Instead of imagining potential endgames, let's recognize that a successful movement must be an enduring process -- a process that requires constant evolution and outreach
Vicious Cycle Of Islamophobia
By Ram Puniyani
We are going through strange times. While the science, technology and rationalism has given us physical and intellectual tools to better the lot of humanity, we are witnessing the production of provocative material, literature and films in particular, which demonize the particular religion, Islam to be precise, and the prophet of Islam
20 September , 2012
Arctic Ice Shrinks To All-Time Low
By Countercurrents.org
In a critical climate indicator showing an ever warming world, the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean shrank to an all-time low this year, obliterating old records. The ice cap at the North Pole measured 1.32 million square miles on Sunday. That's 18 percent smaller than the previous record of 1.61 million square miles set in 2007, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center
How British Government's Climate Forecasting MET Office Gets The Arctic Wrong
By Climate Code Red
It's hard to read the MET Office evidence as other than scientists blindly following a poorly-performing model and willfully denying carefully accrued physical observations. If there is an issue in climate science, it's not drawing too pessimistic projections, but underplaying the problem. In this instance, the MET Office view is similar in character to the IPCC 2007 report with regard to the Arctic
Alps' Glaciers Are Retreating Rapidly
By Countercurrents.org
The Alps ' glaciers are in retreat at an alarming rate due to rising temperatures. Scientists opine: this is the result of global warming. This has implication on agriculture, industry and human habitation
U.S. Elections. Where Is The Leadership On The Climate Crisis?
By Rolly Montpellier
If Winston Churchill were around today, he would point out that we have now entered a ‘period of consequences’ (a term coined by Churchill in 1939 about the ominous signs of an imminent war). Only today, the war is against Climate Change. The Climate Crisis is real
Monsanto’s Products Cause Tumors, Organ Damage In Rats
By Aviva Shen
The animals on the GM diet suffered mammary tumours, as well as severe liver and kidney damage. The researchers said 50 percent of males and 70 percent of females died prematurely, compared with only 30 percent and 20 percent in the control group
Koodankulam: Protesters To Lay Siege To Thoothukudi Harbor
By People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy
Koodankulam Protesters will lay siege to the Thoothukudi harbor on September 22, 2012 by the fishing boats of the area. Fishermen from other villages would organize a boat rally in their respective villages and women and children would organize a human chain in the morning and a fast in the afternoon
Koodankulam: Snippets Of Truth Heard Aside
By Anitha.S
Testimonies of villagers on the police bruatlity in Koodankulam
How American Democracy Became The Property Of A Commercial Oligarchy
By Lewis H. Lapham
The country is being asked to vote in November for television commercials because only in the fanciful time zone of a television commercial can the American democracy still be said to exist
End Of Chicago Strike Paves Way For Redoubled Attack On Teachers, Public Education
By Joseph Kishore
Chicago teachers returned to work on Wednesday, one day after the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) succeeded in passing a motion to end the strike at a House of Delegates meeting. The political and media establishment is wasting no time in seizing the initiative and pressing forward in the attack on teachers and public education
Chicago School Teachers Give Us All A Lesson
By Dean Baker
Two-thirds of parents supported the Chicago school teachers' protest in spite of the inconvenience caused by the strike
Quantitative Easing - A Toxic Stimulant
By Mark Vorpahl
Both union and unorganized workers need to unite around our shared interests in opposition to the architects of Quantitative Easing and those it is designed to benefit. A mass independent social movement is required to rebuild the economy and keep the foxes out
The Man Who Kissed the Pope’s Ring
By Michael Robeson
Many Westerners live, induced to identify, emotionally and psychically, with the past suffering of the Jews and disposed almost not at all to consider worthy the present suffering of the Iraqis, the Afghanis, the Libyans, and the Syrians
Charity Economics, Subservient Politics: Why Oslo Must Go
By Ramzy Baroud
There are new calls for the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority. For these calls to be meaningful, they need to be accompanied by a unifying transitional political program which will guide Palestinians out of the temporary chaos that is likely to follow. The program must be a part of a larger vision, one that looks past charity-economics and frivolous talks of two-state solutions, and which actually bridges the gap between divided Palestinian communities
America Committed Thousands of 9/11s On Defenseless People Overseas
By Jay Janson
How long will millions of intelligent Americans put up with this America über alles mentality? This pack of mass homicide justifying lies? How long will those aware respect the mass of ignorant and self-preoccupied fellow citizens foolishly believing the war promoting investment community owned mass media, respect those deceived sons and daughters who happily follow criminal orders to murder in other people's countries in the name of all Americans
Several Thousand Highest-Income Households Paid No Income Tax In The US
By Countercurrents.org
“Mitt Romney's "47%" who pay no federal income tax include several thousand of the highest-income households in the US”, said a CNNMoney report. On the other hand, about 6 million Americans, mostly middle class will face a tax penalty for not getting insurance
West Braces For Clash of Cultures
By Ismail Salami
With the publication of the profane pictures of the holy Prophet of Islam in Charlie Hebdo magazine, the West seems to be consciously moving in a direction where chaos will dominate the international arena and a clash of cultures will inevitably run deeper for an indefinite period of time
The Power of Belief: You Become What You Believe In
By Yoginder Sikand
The contradictions and conflicts of a believer
19 September , 2012
Koodankulam: Way Out Of The Nuclear Mess
By M.G.Devasahayam
Central Government and State Government of Tamilnadu should stop immediately the oppressive methods unleashed on the people agitating against KKNPP. An informed public debate and also a meaningful and an in-depth debate in Indian Parliament on the need for nuclear power will be in the interest of India’s future
A Mothers' Movement For Future Generations
By Heidi Hutner
Cancer survivor Heidi Hutner worried about how to raise a baby girl in an increasingly toxic world. Why she, and others, are convening the Women’s Congress for Future Generations to make the earth safe again for our children
A Life Of Abundance Without Money
By Maria Grusauskas
The story of a man who gave up money and found happiness
Construction Versus Destruction
By John Scales Avery
We must oppose the planned illegal and insane Israeli attack of Iran, which threatens to lead to a world-destroying conflict. We must oppose these things by working with dedication, as though our lives depended on it. In fact, they do
An Exercise In Imagination
By Farooque Chowdhury
Looking at an imaginary society
Ballot Access For Third Parties (With The Rocky Anderson Campaign)
By Tim Gatto with Ben Shaw
The Democrat and The Republican parties look out for their own, and that isn't the majority of us. So the next time you vote, think about who's interests you are voting for
Linguistic Right And Language of Politics
By Samir Karmakar
Talking about linguistic right is not something trendy. People are talking about it for decades across the globe, and India becomes the breeding ground for language activists. In spite of all these, graphical representation of the census data on decadal growth of the scheduled languages of India (2011) is still showing the negative trend
Listening To Kabir Amidst The Ruins Of A Textile Mill
By Vidyadhar Date
I recently went to a music recital by the well known singer Mukhtiar Ali. He rendered Sufi and Kabir songs in a nice-looking venue, very unusual, right next to a lake and in the heart of Mumbai. It was at Byculla near the Jijamata Udyan. . But one felt uneasy here because this is a land which should belong to common people and workers with whose blood and sweat have grown the fortunes of the upper class of Mumbai
Excessive Speculation And Market Manipulation:
The Guar Futures Trading Fiasco
By Kavaljit Singh
The recent guar trading scandal gives a peek into the murky world of Indian commodity futures markets and reveals how commodity exchanges are acting like casinos for speculators, moving away from their avowed objectives of price discovery and price risk management in an efficient and orderly manner
(Mis)understanding The Kashmir Conundrum
By Dr. M Ashraf Bhat
There seems no visionary, pragmatic and sincere policy regarding Kashmir. When a problem is offered diverse perplexing solutions from several parties, it will certainly never be resolved
Chronic Kidney Disease In Sri Lanka : Questions Revolve Around
Chemical Pesticides And Fertilizer
By Countercurrents.org
Thousands of people in Sri Lanka have been struck by a mysterious and deadly form of kidney disease. A new study points to a likely cause – pesticides and fertilizers
18 September , 2012
Nuclear Power Business Is Defacing Indian Democracy
By Buddhi Kota Subbarao
Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamilnadu, southern India, has become Oracle of Delphi to reveal the future of India. It has also become a touch stone to know the worth of Indian Democracy
Is This A Democratic Country? Asks S.P Udayakumar
By PMANE
Meeting the press on Tuesday for the first time after he was whisked away by his supporters when he offered to surrender on September 11, People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) coordinator SP Udayakumar said: “Today, Koodankulam and Vairavikinaru have been looted and are suffering. Women are scared to come out of their houses. Is this a democratic country?"
Extreme Unease At Koodankulam
By Anamika Badal
Even as the debate over the nuclear fuel loading at the Koodankulam continues, an extreme sense of unease prevailed over Idinthakarai which is the focal point for the protests
Australian Senator Calls For A Moratorium On Uranium Trade
By Scott Ludlam
This adjournment speech in the Australian Senate was dedicated to Antony Samy of Koodankulam
Arctic Sea Ice Will Reach 'Final Collapse' Within Four Years: Expert
By Common Dreams
Arctic waters will be completely ice free within four years, according to leading Arctic ice expert Professor Peter Wadhams of Cambridge University. This "final collapse" of Arctic sea ice in summer months could occur by 2015, solidifying a "global disaster," which has arrived faster than previous predictions suggested
Terror And Teargas On The Streets Of Bahrain
By Jen Marlowe
The "Secret" Revolution that could set the Middle East aflame
Israeli War Against Palestinian Children
By Dr. Elias Akleh
These policies, that seem to be part and parcel of the racist expansionist ideology of the state of Israel and of its army, aim primarily at driving Palestinian families out of the country for the sake of their children's future, and secondary to traumatize and terrorize Palestinian children while very young so that they would not dare grow up into revolting young men
‘Israel' Meets South Africa In World Baseball Classic
By Ira Glunts
“Israelis” are actually favored to win this qualifier round which in addition to South Africa includes teams from Spain and France. How is this possible? Major league baseball, which produces the Classic, has declared players who claim one Jewish parent or one Jewish grandparent (depending on your source) to be eligible to compete for the Israeli national team. How and why did this bizarre eligibility standard come into being?
Galahs In Canberra Parrot Hasbara
By Vacy Vlazna
On reading, Ramzy Baroud’s “Growing Isolation: Boycott of Israel Crosses to Governments' Realm” wherein he describes the growing worldwide trend of support by civil society and governments for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine, one is immediately struck by the stark disparity of morals on the matter of Palestine between South Africa and Australia
The Job Crisis, The "Unemployable,” And The Fiscal Cliff
By Shamus Cooke
With the November elections right around the corner, the millions of unemployed and under-employed have little reason to care. Aside from some sparse rhetoric, neither Democrats nor Republicans have offered a solution to job creation. Most politicians seem purposefully myopic about the jobs crisis, as if a healthy dose of denial might get them through the electoral season unscathed
Why The Chicago Teacher's Union Needs A Socialist Party
By Billy Wharton
The Chicago Teacher’s Union (CTU) is facing a serious political problem as its strike enters a second week. The problem extends down from the highest heights in Washington, D.C. to the smallest ward in Chicago. The problem is the Democratic Party and this problem is only getting worse
The 99% Rally For A Constitutional Convention
By Roger Copple
The non-electoral methods of the Occupy Wall Street movement are energizing millions who have been alienated for a long time from the two-party system of sham that the 1% controls. Some reformers, most likely in support of the Occupy movement, are proposing an amendment to overturn the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling in 2010 that empowers corporations to unfairly influence political campaigns with their large financial donations
Freedom Of Expression or Freedom To Blaspheme?
By Mirza Yawar Baig
There can be no freedom of worship or expression when some people insult and abuse what someone else worships or reveres. Insulting someone personally is not accepted as a freedom in any civilized society. If someone did that they would become liable for legal action and punishment. So how can it be accepted to insult someone or something that an individual worships or considers holy?
Sabra And Shatila
By Thomas C. Mountain
Remembering Sabra And Shatila
Mobocracy And The Rule Of Law
By R.B.Sreekumar
Democracy is yet to take deeper roots in India. The voters are not always conscious enough to see through the unscrupulous games of political parties practicing mobocracy, mafiacracy and money-o-cracy as tools in the electoral competition. Gujarat riots are an instance of democratically elected Government practicing mobocracy by playing upon emotions of the people
17 September , 2012
Occupy Movement Celebrates First Anniversary
By Countercurrents.org
Occupy Movement participants marched through streets. In New York, they marched. They marched in other cities. The dream is alive. The movement has not ceased. While protests have been shut down in some areas, others are still continuing. It’s continuing from the metropolis of the world system to the ocean shore in south India
Occupy Your Victories: OWS' First Anniversary
By Rebecca Solnit
Go out into the streets and celebrate the one-year anniversary and start dreaming and planning for 2021, when we could -- if we are steadfast, if we are inclusive, if we keep our eyes on the prize, if we define that prize and recognize progress toward it and remember where we started -- be celebrating something much bigger. It’s a long road to travel, but we can get there from here
Occupy Wall Street And The Meanings Of Success
By Marina Sitrin
Success of a movement, movement goals and people's desires come from those people, those social actors, not those studying them or politically desiring to lead them. In fact, it is against this way of thinking and organizing that the Occupy movement was born. It was a rupture with people telling us what to do and how to do it. This includes not only governments and politicians, but also left political parties, journalists, and scholars
Progressives Must Move Beyond Occupy
By Cynthia Alvarez
Serious Occupiers who want to re-form society should move to better-organized Progressive groups. I will subscribe to Occupy networks and might attend Occupy direct actions. But mainly I'll be looking for other progressive groups who could actually do something. The Green Party, for example, has inspiring leaders and a constructive plan for a "Green New Deal." Perhaps it's time to (finally) create a national Progressive Party - an umbrella party for all Progressives that articulates a general Progressive platform and provides the leverage to move national policy
Leaping Into Death
By Anitha.S
96 hours have passed since Sahayam’s life ebbed out of his young and healthy heart. 96 hours of incessant lament and tears for Chellamma, his wife, mother and children. 96 hours of no food and water, no bath or sleep. How many more hours to pass before they bring his lifeless form here asks many as they sit watching his picture and that of the one who lost his life near Manapad
The March Of Nuclear Folly
By Praful Bidwai
The repression, including lethal firing, unleashed on peaceful protesters against the Kudankulam nuclear plant on Monday, on top of FIRs over many months charging thousands with sedition, makes two things clear. Nuclear projects in India can only be thrust on unwilling citizens at gunpoint
Koodankulam: Prof Atul Chokshi’s Response To The Hindu
By Prof. Atul Chokshi
A response to “The real questions from Kudankulam” by Rahul Siddharthan published in THE HINDU by Prof. Atul Chokshi of the Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore
The Hindu's Bias On Koodankulam: An Open Letter
By Shankar sharma
If nuclear power is safe and economical, why are there no commercial insurance of those plants. Why are the suppliers of nuclear reactors (US, Russia, France) insisting on exemption from liability from damages of nuclear accident?
Suspend Work At Koodankulam, Talk To Protesters, Urge Concerned Citizens
By Concerned Citizens
We urge the government to suspend work at Koodankulam and engage directly and democratically with the concerns of the people who live in the vicinity, so that if the plant is to proceed it has their acceptance
The Worst Week For The World’s Nuclear Industry
By Anamika Badal
JAPAN, BELGIUM, SPAIN, FRANCE, USA, CANADA, INDIA, GERMANY, ITALY, SWITZERLAND. By all signs, it appears that the whole of planet Earth has at once decided to shun nuclear energy. The popular sentiment was definitely negative towards the use of nuclear power, and now it seems that governments have had to bow to people’s wishes.Within one week, the industry has been dealt such a severe body blow that it will have to struggle hard to even survive
Japan Plans To Abandon Nuclear Power
By Countercurrents.org
In a major policy shift, Japan government has announced its plan to stop using nuclear power by the 2030s. The policy shift comes after last year's Fukushima disaster. The Fukushima plant meltdowns spewed radiation and forced some 160,000 people to flee. Earlier policy goal was to increase the share of atomic energy to more than half of electricity supply
Belgium Shuts Two Nuclear Reactors Amid Safety Concerns
By Countercurrents.org
Amidst safety concern Belgium has shut down two of its nuclear reactors last month
Nuclear Roulette
By David Swanson
As the Coalition Against Nukes prepares for a series of events in Washington, D.C., September 20-22, including a Capitol Hill rally, a Congressional briefing, a fundraiser at Busboys and Poets, a ceremony at the Museum of the American Indian, a rally at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), a film screening, and a strategy session, the time seems ideal to take in the wisdom of Gar Smith's new book, Nuclear Roulette: The Truth About the Most Dangerous Energy Source on Earth
Will Saudi Arabia Become An Oil Importer By 2030?
By Kjell Aleklett
“Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil producer (11.1mbpd) & exporter (7.7mbpd). It also consumes 25% of its production. Energy consumption per capita exceeds that of most industrial nations. Oil & its derivatives account for ~50% of Saudi’s electricity production, used mostly (>50%) for residential use. Peak power demand is growing by ~8%/yr. Our analysis shows that if nothing changes Saudi may have no available oil for export by 2030.”
It's Austerity For People And Cuts By Bankers: Protests In Portugal And Spain
By Countercurrents.org
People in Portugal and Spain are protesting cuts, part of austerity measure the bankers responsible for crisis in these debt-ridden countries are imposing. The protesting people shouted anti-government slogans and waved banners that read "Enough!" and "They are sinking the country!"
Unheard Demand For Justice: Batla House
By Ravi Nitesh
An article for 18th September- Anniversary of Batla House Encounter Case
Democracy: From The Best Towards The Ideal
By Ravi Nitesh
Real democracy is inside the hearts of people and fear, ignorance, suppression have no place in it. It is our democracy and thus we demand from it, its very nature will bring us the justice and this hope is feeding the spirit of Irom.. Irom Sharmila is hungry for people but this feeling itself feed her all food for spirit on which her heart is continuously pumping the blood with process of purification
The China Japan Dispute Over Diaoyu: Let The Truth Prevail
By Chandra Muzaffar
Tensions are rising in the dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands ---- 5 tiny islands and 3 rocks covering a mere 7 square kilometres in the East China Sea
Islam And Pakistan
By Mir Adnan Aziz
No wonder, today we practice our own convoluted version of Islam that ‘is full of beliefs and empty of religion’ and live in a Pakistan ‘divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation’. What could be more repugnant and a negation of the very teachings of Islam and the envisioned ideals of Pakistan?
16 September , 2012
Koodankulam Protesters Create Symoblic Mass Graves
By Countercurrents.org
On the sixth day of historic and decisive phase of anti-nuclear struggle in Koodankulam people buried themselves in symbolic graves. Hundreds of people, including women and children buried themselves in the sand on the sea shore
Why Not Bury US Alive?
By Anitha.S & Santhi.S
The walls and doors, all entrances and exits of the world from which answers should emerge remains tightly shut. The phones in the chambers from where pay rolls are issued to provide answers keep ringing day in and day out. Who will answer? Which tide will wash away this fear and insecurity?
Nuclear Martyrs And Necropolitics
By Raminder Kaur
The death of the anti-nuclear protesters will not be in vain. Mainstream media may forget as they move on to the next big sensation, but the people will not. Their deaths will be the final nails in the coffins of nuclear power plants
Fish Workers Express Solidarity With Koodankulam Agitators
By Countercurrents.org
Activists of the Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation destroyed model of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant at a demonstration in Thiruvananthapuram .Fish workers’ bodies plan agitation, September 17 to be observed as protest day
It's Us or The Nukes
By David Swanson
The nukes have got to go, or we do. This planet's not big enough for both
The Wind And The Sun And Israel's Moral Rights
By William A. Cook
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said the United States had forfeited its moral right to stop Israel taking action against Iran's nuclear program because it had refused to be firm with Tehran itself.” (Newsmax.com, Tuesday, September 11, 2012).What moral right does Netanyahu refer to when his state has been operating without morals for 63 years?
Yes; They Have Even Banned Medicine And Foodstuff
By Kourosh Ziabari
The fact that the inhumane sanctions of the United States and its European allies against Iran are taking a heavy toll on the ordinary Iranians is still hard to believe for many Western citizens who suppose that their governments are sincere in their claims of being concerned for human rights and freedom
The Chicago Teachers And Their Students’ Test Scores
By Ann Robertson and Bill Leumer
Many crucial issues are at stake in the Chicago Teachers Union strike. But the school district’s insistence that student test scores constitute a major basis of teacher evaluations seems to have become a particularly contentious point, leading to the vilification of teachers by the mainstream media, particularly The New York Times
US Anti-Muslim Movie, Riots, Mainstream Lying And 12 Million Dead In Muslim Holocaust
By Dr Gideon Polya
The American anti-Muslim movie has deeply offended the Muslim world, this leading to violent riots around the globe. Violence is wrong, counterproductive and only serves the interests of horrendously violent and deadly US state terrorism, UK state terrorism, French state terrorism and Apartheid Israeli state terrorism. Muslims must resolutely inform the world about the Muslim Holocaust of about 12 million Muslims killed from violence (3.6 million) or war-imposed deprivation (8.9 million) in the post-1990 Zionist-backed US War on Muslims
The New American Reality
By Timothy V. Gatto
So this time when you vote and pull the lever for the man of their choice, ask yourself why you are doing it. Be prepared to read about the US military operating in nation after nation and continuous war, while jobs are scarce because most have gone overseas. Welcome to the new American reality
FDI In Retail: Made In The United States
By Devinder Sharma
In India, we are aware that Wal-Mart alone had spent Rs.52 crore in two years to lobby, as per a disclosure statement made in the U.S. It has certainly paid off
Aseem Trivedi Is Not Seditious
By S.G.Vombatkere
Whether or not the “language” of Aseem Trivedi's cartoons is acceptable, what is abundantly clear is that neither its intent nor its content is seditious. The Mumbai Police, with their high-handed, misguided charge of sedition against Aseem Trivedi, have not only helped launch the bold young activist into national and international prominence, but made a laughing stock of governments' real capabilities and intolerance. Long live political cartoonists!
14 September , 2012
Koodankulam Protesters On Second Day Of Occupy Sea Agitation
By Countercurrents.org
Koodankulam, in Tamil Nadu, India, where an historic anti-nuclear struggle against a nuclear power plant is going on witnessed a second day of Occupy The Sea agitation. More than 2000 villagers and fisher folks, including women and children, entered the sea and occupied it until the evening. As a relief to the agitators, there was no surveillance aircraft flying over their head
Children Born Of The Sea, Playing In The Waters
By Anitha S
The women of Koodankulam tell their story
The Truth Seekers Of Today
By Raminder Kaur
Intelligence quarters such as the Q-branch are panicking because they do not know what to do when a genuine protest gets larger than they can manage. So they go around making examples of people, spouting lies and twisting the facts, and subjecting others to a siege of terror
One Year Away From Global Food Riots, Complex Systems Theorists Say
By Countercurrents.org
In a 2011 paper , researchers at the Complex Systems Institute unveiled a model that accurately explained why the waves of unrest that swept the world in 2008 and 2011 crashed when they did. The number one determinant was soaring food prices. Their model identified a precise threshold for global food prices that, if breached, would lead to worldwide unrest. Even before the extreme weather scrambled food prices this year, their 2011 report predicted that the next great breach would occur in August 2013, and that the risk of more worldwide rioting would follow
Food Crisis Imminent If No Change To Climate Policy And Risk Of Riot Increases
By Countercurrents.org
Climate crisis is looming larger with all its implications. There is increased risk of severe drought, especially in Asia and China and India are at risk of facing consequences of severe drought with their huge population. At the same time, apprehensions of social tension and riot are increasing with food turning scarce and food prices on the increase
Revisiting An Arctic Tale Of Ice And Shell
By Subhankar Banerjee
Why are we now sending Shell to get more oil that we will burn and send more CO2 in the air that will cause more arctic warming? In light of all the recent developments the Obama administration has an unique opportunity, a turning point—not grant Shell the final permit, but instead start work on a thorough Environmental Impact Statement, a requirement of the National Environmental Policy Act and something the administration has avoided so far
Al-Qaeda Now A US Ally In Syria
By Joseph Wakim
In Syria, there is mounting evidence that Al Qaeda and its allies are actively deploying terror tactics and suicide bombers to overthrow the Assad regime. Syrian citizens who prefer the secular and stable state to the prospect of an Iraqi-style sectarian state may well be turning this same question around to the US government: are you with us, or with the terrorists?
Gratitude To Trees
By Shepherd Bliss
Written as a guide to prepare students from two classes—“Place and Identity” and “Conservation Biology”--for a walk into the woods beyond Dominican University of California
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): Free Trade Ain't Free
By Mickey Z.
We can begin by educating ourselves and the general public about the avaricious agenda of the 1%. Let's spread the word that TPP isn't an arcane exercise in D.C. double-talk. It will directly affect us—from access to medicine, a lack of food safety, more jobs lost, a faster rate of climate change, and too many more ways to list here
Defying Manu, Bowing To Mammon: On The Silent Emergence of Dalit Capitalism
By Subhash Gatade
The debate being peddled around Dalit Capitalism by renowned Dalit intellectuals with due support from their friends in the media/establishment needs to be challenged and questioned not only because of it is devoid of any merit, shows ignorance of social dynamics in India, looks at capitalism with gratitude for enhancing freedom' and is an apologist for globalization – the latest modus operandi of capitalism'- but also because it is attempting to present a vulgarized image of Ambedkar
Deceit, Plunder And Destruction
By Madhuresh Kumar
A way has to be found to end the injustice meted out to people displaced by dams
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development Condemns Police Brutality In Koodankulam
By FORUM-ASIA
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) has strongly condemned the fierce police repression on the peaceful protest by the people of Idinthikarai and other villages surrounding the Koodankulam Nuclear Plant in Tamil Nadu, India on 10 September 2012
Child-Like, In Heaven?
By Yoginder Sikand
An interpretation of Jesus' words, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
America’s Dummy System: Eating Itself While Destroying The World
By Sean Fenley
Unfortunately, for Americans and non-Americans alike, Americans have virtually no choice in this matter at their polling places, in the ongoing presidential election/food fight/sham. Either of the two candidates — that are capable of winning, will continue on with this sordid trash
The U.S Ambassador Torture Picture withdrawn
Countercurrents.org has withdrawn the picture of the US ambassador to Lybia Christopher Stevens being dragged through the street since we don't have a complete picture of the context of the image
13 September , 2012
Koodankulam Agitators Occupy The Sea
By Countercurrents.org
Contrary to media reports, the U.S ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens was possibly tortured, dragged through the street and murdered
The U.S Ambassador Torture Picture withdrawn
By Countercurrents.org
Countercurrents.org has withdrawn the picture of the US ambassador to Lybia Christopher Stevens being dragged through the street since we don't have a complete picture of the context of the image
US Sends MarinesTo Libya After Ambassador’s Killing
By Bill Van Auken
The Obama administration has dispatched an elite unit of Marine special forces to Libya after the killing of the US ambassador and three other US personnel in the storming of the American consulate in Benghazi Tuesday
The Provocateurs Know Politics And Religion Don't Mix
By Robert Fisk
So another internet clever-clogs sets the Middle East on fire: Prophet cartoons, then Koranic book-burning, now a video of robed "terrorists" and a fake desert. The Western-Christian perpetrators then go into hiding (an essential requisite for publicity) while the innocent are asphyxiated, beheaded and otherwise done to death – outrageous Muslim revenge thus "proving" the racist claims of the trash peddlers that Islam is a violent religion
Blowback
By Timothy V. Gatto
I’m as upset and angry as anyone when I heard about the bombing of the United States Consulate in Libya. I also mourn the deaths of the Americans who worked there. The Ambassador seemed like a man who genuinely cared about the area and knew the people there and Americans and Libyans should mourn his loss. Still, I don’t understand the rhetoric that came from Hillary Clinton’s mouth about the event
Growth or Equality: Two Competing Visions For America’s Future
By David Korten
David Korten on how closing the wealth gap can open the way to a fairer, more prosperous economy
Three More Growth Fallacies
By Herman Daly
1. As natural resources become scarce we can substitute capital for resources and continue to grow. 2. Space, the high frontier, frees us from the finitude of the earth, and opens unlimited resources for growth. 3. Without economic growth all progress is at an end
5 Issues This Election Should Be About, And One To Drop
By Sarah van Gelder
Cutting through the campaign rhetoric and attack ads, here are five issues we believe should be at the center of the 2012 election, plus one that has no place in the public
Monopolizing War?
By Tom Engelhardt
The American people, however, are demobilized and detached from the wars, interventions, operations, and other military activities done in their name. As a result, 200 Marines in Guatemala, almost 78% of global weapons sales, drones flying surveillance from Australia -- no one here notices; no one here cares. War: it’s what we do the most and attend to the least. It’s a nasty combination
Growing Isolation: Boycott Of Israel Crosses To Governments’ Realm
By Ramzy Baroud
Recently, South Africa’s cabinet passed a decision requiring Israel to distinguish between products made in Israel and those made in illegal Jewish colonies in the West Bank. The decision was both politically sound and morally consistent with the country’s anti-apartheid legacy. It was also a natural progression of South Africa’s policies, which have reflected impatience with Israel through the years
The Path To War For The Sake Of Israel
By Ghali Hassan
Canada has recently suspended its diplomatic ties with Iran, accusing Iran of “ significant threat to global peace and security in the world today” . The move is attributed to U.S.-Israel pressure to create a coalition front and provide a façade of “international” legitimacy to justify aggression against Iran
Mogadishu “Election” Farce
By Thomas C. Mountain
While the international media might trumpet “Somalia’s First Free and Fair Elections in 50 Years” reality on the ground in Mogadishu reveals a truly grand farce of an “election” process
12 September , 2012
We Are Not Terrorists, We Are Not Dangerous Animals
By People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy
Today we are surrounded by police, beaten up by police, harassed by police, accused of committing all kinds of crimes by police, arrested by police and above all, mentally, emotionally, spiritually assaulted by police. The Tamil Nadu Government tends to treat us like dreaded terrorists and dangerous criminals
Letter From The Women of Koodankulam To All The Women Of The World
By The Women of Koodankulam
Dear Sister, Do have the boldness and honesty to come here and see for yourself the beauty and simplicity of our lives. This is the time we need you. Please break the barricades and hindrances that have been created and walk in fearlessly to see us here. Please act and intervene as fast as possible. We cannot afford to lose one more life, scare one more child, break one more house anymore….Do stand by truth, justice and womanhood
Loyalties
By John Scales Avery
At the moment, Benjamin Netanyahu is shrilly commanding US politicians to support Israel in an illegal attack on Iran. Any US involvement in such a war would not only be a violation of the UN Charter, but it would also put the United States into grave danger. Such a war would have completely unforeseeable consequences, and it might develop into World War III. Why are the politicians in Washington, who follow Israel's insane leadership, not accused of treason?
The Pope And The Palestinians
By Franklin Lamb
During His Apostolic Pilgrimage to Lebanon, Will the Vicar of Christ Sup in the Temple with the Money Changers or Succor the Progeny of Jesus?
The Environmental Antiwar Movement
By David Swanson
Events in South Korea are putting U.S. and international environmental groups into coalition with antiwar groups, and in rare opposition to one of the most environmentally destructive forces on earth: the military industrial complex
Exit Free
By Naomi Golner
This article was contributed by Naomi Golner, one of the founders of Exit Free, a collective in the USA that helps women leave the military by discharge or desertion
David Griffin Speaks: 9/11 Questions Remain Unanswered
By Kourosh Ziabari
More than a decade after the painful incident which was, at least from a humanitarian perspective, a real tragedy, there are tens of questions which remain unanswered about the 9/11 attacks
The Absolute Truth: Attempting To Solve A Seemingly Insoluble Question
By Yoginder Sikand
The more you think about some questions in the hope of solving them, the more insoluble they seem to become. One such question, which you must certainly have agonised about if you really seek a compelling answer to it, is: Is there at all any rational way in which one can decide which, if any, of the many competitors in the global religious market represents the Absolute Truth?
Verghese Kurien: End Of An Era Of Milk-Sufficiency
By Devinder Sharma
He came, he saw the plight of farmers, and crafted a highly successful cooperative ladder to bail them out. His vision, his marketing skills, and more importantly his courage to defy any kind of political meddling, turned Amul into a household name. But that's not the end of it. The passing of Dr Verghese Kurien, the milkman of India, certainly brings down the curtain on the era of milk self-sufficiency. Verghese Kurien died unhappy
Sedition: Beyond The Aseem Trivedi Phenomenon
By Mahtab Alam
The most interesting and ridiculous case of sedition were those charged for protesting against the Kudanakum Nuclear Power Plant in Tamilnadu. As many as 8,000 cases, yes , 8,000 cases of sedition and waging a war against the nation have been registered, at a single police station of Idinthakarai, a small coastal village in Tirunelveli district of the state. Almost entire of the village has been branded as seditious. Their crime?
11 September , 2012
Villagers On Satyagraha, An Uneasy Calm In Koodankulam
By Dianuke.org
Koodankulam, in Tamil Nadu, India, where an historic anti-nuclear struggle against a nuclear power plant is going on remained peaceful today, after yesterday's police atrocity in which several agitators were injured. About 20, 000 villagers are on a 48 hour Satyagraha on the beach where they are assembled
Mahashweta Devi, Aruna Roy, Vandana Shiva And Other Eminent Citizens Urge
CM Jayalalitha To Stop Fuel Loading And Repression In Koodankulam
By Concerned Citizens
For the sake of democracy, stop police violence on people, and start dialoguing with the people. In a democratic society, police and bullets cannot be the answer to voices of dissent. Stop hasty fuelling of the plant until people’s grievances are addressed. We urge you to stop police atrocities and come forward for an open dialogue with the people
After The Mayhem
Text By Anitha S & Phtographs By Antony Kebinston
Tamil, a woman from Koodankulam relates the travails of the agitators
An Artist's Reaction To Police Brutality In Koodankulam
By Aarti
Koodankulam struggle and police brutality represented in cartoons
Dramatic Change In Ocean Salinity And A Wetter North
By Countercurrents.org
The high-latitude North is becoming wetter while there is dramatic change in the oceans' salt content. The salty parts of the oceans have turned saltier and the fresh regions have become fresher. The degree of change, over the past 50 years, is greater than scientists can explain
Israel, Canada Cut From Same Cloth
By Ismail Salami
Canada’s abrupt move to sever all ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran manifestly springs from a strong Zionist sway which has permeated the political structure of the country
Canada Preps For War With Iran, Displaying Its Ignorant And Malevolent Foreign Policy
By Jim Miles
John Baird, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced Canada’s position on Iran, indicating it was shutting down its embassy at the same time expelling all Iranian diplomats
Obama Says One Thing Under The Spotlight; Does Another Behind Closed Doors
By Kevin Zeese
While Obama Tells the Country He Will Create Jobs and Stop Outsourcing; His Administration is Secretly Negotiating the Biggest Job-Outsourcing Treaty in History
The Method To The Post 9/11 Madness
By David Swanson
There is a method to the madness. I don't mean just the pressure that President Eisenhower warned us would be created by massive military spending. I mean that the war planners have planned far ahead. They have lists of upcoming wars
Life And Death - The Tank Man And Rachel Corrie
By Dan Lieberman
The court decision in Israel, which exonerated the driver of a huge bulldozer in the death of activist Rachel Corrie, recalls a previous confrontation between man and machine - the 1989 stance of a Chinese citizen before a tank squadron moving toward Tiananmen Square
The Persecution of John Kiriakou
By Peter Van Buren
Here is what military briefers like to call BLUF, the Bottom Line Up Front: no one except John Kiriakou is being held accountable for America’s torture policy. And John Kiriakou didn’t torture anyone, he just blew the whistle on it
Tehran NAM Summit A Diplomatic Coup For Iran : Finian Cunningham
Interview by Kourosh Ziabari
Irish journalist and political commentator Finian Cunningham believes that the 16 th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran which wrapped up on August 31 was a "spectacular diplomatic coup for the Islamic Republic of Iran" and a "puncturing of Western self-importance."
Drowned By A Dam; Disowned By A Democracy
By Samar
The article looks into the desperation that forced protesters in Khandwa to put their lives at stakes for getting their legitimate rights. The article also looks into the factors that make a self-proclaimed democracy disown its own citizenry with such impunity
10 September , 2012
Police Atrocity In Koodankulam; One Person Shot Dead
By Countercurrents.org
Police are on a rampage against anti-nuclear protesters resisting the fuel loading in Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant. Polce beat up hundreds of protesters and lobbed tear gas shells into the crowd. Hundreds of people were injured in the police lathicharge. Several people jumped into the sea to escape from police lathicharge. The agitation spread to near by districts too. In neighbouring Tuticorin district, one person was reportedly killed in Thoothukudy, when police fired into a crowd of fishermen who were protesting against the nuclear plant. The deceased is identified as Antony Samy
The Soviet Union Dumped Enormous Quantities Of Nuclear Waste
In Kara Sea In The Arctic Ocean
By Maj Gen S.G.Vombatkere (Retd)
According to documents with Norwegian officials, Russian authorities have revealed that its predecessor state, the erstwhile Soviet Union (USSR) had dumped “enormous quantities of decommissioned Russian nuclear reactors and radioactive waste ... into the Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean”. The catalogue includes “... some 17,000 containers of radioactive waste, 19 ships containing radioactive waste, 14 nuclear reactors, including five that still contain spent nuclear fuel; 735 other pieces of radioactively contaminated heavy machinery, and the K-27 nuclear submarine with its two reactors loaded with nuclear fuel“.
Climate Change: The Caribbean Coral Reefs Suffer
And 500 Million People In The World Threatened
By Countercurrents.org
The Caribbean coral reefs, one of the world's most colorful, vivid and productive ecosystems, are on the brink of collapse. International Coral Reef Initiative ( ICRI ) informs: “Global climate change has already damaged many of the world's coral reefs . The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also informs grim news on coral reef ecosystems. Damage to coral reefs threaten livelihood of millions of people, about 500 million
Teachers Strike In Chicago
By Kristina Betinis
Negotiations between the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the third largest school district in the country, and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) broke off Sunday evening. Thousands of workers will man picket lines on Monday morning in the first strike by Chicago teachers in 25 years
The Judas Kiss: Politics Of Betrayal
By William A. Cook
Compare this theft of Jerusalem to the actions that drove Judas; men seeing that their future, attaining the Presidency and fulfilling their political desires, demands that they, like Judas of old, crawl before the Sanhedrin and beg for money and forgiveness should it be perceived that they do not accept their power. Each of our brave candidates crawled down the blood red carpet to AIPAC’s golden podium to declare their allegiance and fidelity to the Zionist State, outdoing each other in obsequies and obedience
The Myth Of The US-Israel Special Bond
By Jonathan Cook
Forget Iran, it’s Israel’s nuclear gun pointed at Obama's head
Pro-Zionist, Pro-war, Pro-Opium, War Criminal Canadian Government
Defames Iran & Cuts Diplomatic Links
By Dr Gideon Polya
The Zionist-beholden, pro-war Canadian Government has broken off diplomatic relations with remote, peaceful Iran and justified this with a comprehensively false litany of allegations
Confessions Of A Former Republican
By Jeremiah Goulka
How I Learned to Stop Loving the Bombs and Start Worrying
We Are At War
By Johnny Barber
“We are at War. Somebody is Going to Pay.” George W. Bush, Sept 11th, 2001. Eleven years later, we are still at war. Bullets, mortars and drones are still extracting payment. Thousands, tens of thousands, millions have paid in full. Children and even those yet to be born will continue to pay for decades to come
Job Creation And The Private Sector
By Mark Vorpahl
The issue of unemployment and underemployment loomed above the hype of both the Republican and Democratic Party conventions with the cold stare of a harsh judge. Many promises and dubious claims were made from the respective party podiums, but no real solutions were put forward
Babasaheb Ambedkar And The Farcical Greatness Pageant
By Anand Teltumbde
The media tamasha sponsored by Anil Ambani’s Reliance Mobile and conducted by CNN-IBN and the History channel, both owned by Network 18, has come to an end. As expected, Babasaheb Ambedkar has won the “greatness contest”
Gujarat Victims Great Fight Back
By Syed Ali Mujtaba
There are many secular minded persons hailing the landmark judgment of Special Court judge, Jyotsana Yagnik in the Naroda Patiya case of the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat. The lady judge in a bold judgment convicted 32 persons including some high profile people like former BJP minister, Maya Kodnani and Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi. Let's salute some courageous and selfless souls who helped to make this happen
A Brutal Debt Collector's Story Wins Golden Lion At Venice Film Festival
By Countercurrents.org
It seems mainstream has started recognizing brutal debt collectors and their mind, a reflection of inhumanity. Even the Venice Film Festival has lent its eyes, ears and mind to the brutalities of debt collectors, which has long been ignored by many. South Korean film Pieta , about a brutal debt collector, has won the Golden Lion award at the Festival
09 September , 2012
20,000 Villagers Occupy Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant
By Joseph John Sunder
More than 20,000 villagers have put the Koodankulam nuclear power plant under siege to protest fuel loading in preparation for the commissioning of the plant. More than 4000 police personnel, inclduing Rapid Action Force (RAF), are deployed around the plant. People are camping in front of the nuclear plant and refuse to go back to their homes
The 9/9 Of Our Lives - Women Of Idinthakarai
By Anitha S
Today certainly was a great day for us. Like many days in the past- Aug 6th when our children performed so well. Aug 15th when we hoisted black flags and mourned the death of democracy. Aug 22nd when some of us travelled to Delhi and spoke at the People’s hearing. September 6th when 25 kids and 4 women travelled to Chennai and spoke at a Press Conference in the big city. And now the 9.9 of our lives. Please do carry this message of peace to the world
Che, My Father: Daughter Recalls The Revolutionary
By Countercurrents.org
Che, a symbol of revolution around the world, was murdered 45 years ago. Aleida, Che’s daughter tells about the revolutionary
The Future Of International Law
By John Scales Avery
Our interdependent world needs international law. We must have law for peace, for “with law shall the land be built up, but with lawlessness, laid waste”
It is Not Enough To "Have" Human Rights, It Is Essential To Know Them
And Own Them As a Way of Life
By Shulamith Koenig
Our mantra describes human rights as the banks of the river where life flows freely. And when the floods come people who know and own human rights strengthen the bank to revert the floods and maintain freedom. Knowledge is power! .Learning about human rights as a way of life moves power to human rights
US Double Standards And Belligerence Towards Iran
By Sean Fenley
How such widespread, dubious and rank hypocrisy can lead to anything, but a credibility gap between what the United States says, and what it does — simply averts believing! Any rational observer, one would think, must view this, as perhaps the highest priority in reforming world/universal dynamics and, indeed, global international strictures
Obama's Vision Versus Economic Reality
By Shamus Cooke
It took less than 24 hours for Obama's "inspiring" convention speech to be smothered by the reality of the job crisis. The August national jobs report showed that the U.S. economy failed to create enough new jobs to keep up with population growth
The Conscience Of A Voter
By Rosemarie Jackowski
In a perfect world we would have economic justice, Single Payer Health Care for all, and Peace on Earth. After all the ballots are counted, I bet that there will be no change. More than 90% will have voted D/R. Torture will go on. Guantanamo will not close. Bradley Manning, Lynne Stewart, and many others will still be political prisoners. Children will continue to die. And the flag wavers will celebrate
Are Farmers Children Of A Lesser God?
By Devinder Sharma
Since 2003, on an average about 100 Army soldiers have been committing suicide every year. Approximately 1000 soldiers have committed suicide in the past 10 years. The Defence Minister is worried, and this is indicative of his concern to improve the working conditions of the lower ranks. Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat had recently told parliament that between 1995 and 2011 as many as 290,470 farmers had committed suicide. This averages to about 17,000 farmers every year, but nothing is done for them
Convention Held In Solidarity With Maruti Workers
By Kavita Krishnan
The AICCTU and AISA held a Convention on September 7th at the Indian Social Institute, Delhi, in solidarity with Maruti workers. The Convention was on the theme, ‘Intensified Assault on the Working Class: Challenges Before Democracy.’ It was attended by workers from the Delhi-NCR area, students, as well as concerned citizens and activists
08 September , 2012
Historic Day In Koodankulam, As People March Towards The Nuclear Plant
By Anitha.S
Tomorrow after many years,we are going to lock and bolt all the doors and gate of ourhouse and get out. All the houses will be locked up tomorrow. The more than a century year old Church in our village that faces the Pillayar kovil will have its usual Sunday service after which we will move enmasse to the KKNPP.(Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant). We will carry our children including babies. Our pregnant daughters will walk in the hot sun with us
US Escalates CIA Intervention On Syrian-Turkish Border
By Bill Van Auken
Washington has rushed a beefed-up contingent of CIA operatives to Turkey’s southern border in a bid to escalate the war for regime change in neighboring Syria. Citing US officials familiar with the plan, the Associated Press reported Friday that this “modest surge” by the US intelligence agency over the past few weeks “has helped improve rebels’ political organizing skills as well as their military organization.”
Iraq: Inside the Belly of CIA Beast
By Ismail Salami
Much to the bitter disappointment of international community, a report recently declassified by CIA reveals that a war that started in the name of democracy in Iraq in 2003 and claimed the lives of more than one million innocent Iraqis and thousands of US-led troops was waged on the basis of an unfortunate series of blatant lies fabricated by CIA
'Lesser Evil' Voters: Stop Enabling Your Abusers (part 2)
By Mickey Z.
After all, if so many of us agree that the current model of human culture is a living nightmare, then why do we even participate? More specifically, if we recognize the need for urgent and radical change, why do we willingly and enthusiastically partake in blatantly fraudulent elections?
Is Palestine A Lost Cause?
By Alan Hart
There is also a joint initiative a universal lobby for Palestinian rights and a re-structured and re-invigorated PNC could that would of itself be a game changer. Just imagine what would happen if a million or more diaspora Palestinians, other Arabs and peoples of all faiths and none marched peacefully on Greater Israel from Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon
The Third Constitution Of The United States
By Roger Copple
Proposing a Third Constitution of The United States. A People's constitution
The Impact Of Evolutionary Nuns On Shaping The Next Culture
By Carolyn Baker
In early May of this year, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in the United States began receiving reprimands from the Vatican for their “radical feminist views.” This historic development has been widely reported in mainstream news by both secular and religious media. In this article, I want to take a closer look at these “evolutionary nuns” and their impact in current time and on the gifts they offer for shaping of a post-industrial culture
Are We Entering A New Era of Human Consciousness -- Or Will We Remain
In The Same Negative Paradigm? The Choice is Ours
By Vincent L. Guarisco
If the Mayans are correct and all the barriers that stand before us are removed, and If the men of great wisdom do make the world's people privy to the wondrous knowledge contained within the many ancient artifacts and texts, then perhaps we really do have a chance to unite and free the human family from bondage
Sure Obama Caved Again On Palestine But Will He Benefit?
By Franklin Lamb
As a former law professor President Obama knows something about international law and US constitutional law which he taught at the University of Chicago. But he besmirched his academic bona fides, violated Democratic Party rules and hurt his campaign on 12/5/12 by ordering the Democratic Party to summarily change earlier a twice debated and unanimously adopted plank of the Democratic Platform on the subject of the status of Jerusalem
"The Other 9/11"
By Benedetti, Corseri and Gonzalez
“Allende” a poem By Mario Benedetti
Exposure Of Neocon American And Zionist Imperialist 9-11 Deception
By Dr Gideon Polya
We are approaching the 11th anniversary of the 9-11 atrocity. The World must comprehend the huge 9-11 deception perpetrated on the American and the World 99% by the lies of the Neocon American and Zionist Imperialist-dominated US and Western Establishment 1%
Permission To Pollute: A Green Light For The First Tar Sands Mine in the US?
By Melanie Jae Martin
Yesterday, the mining company—U.S. Oil Sands, a Canadian operation—received the right to pour toxic wastewater into the land. The judge, an employee of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, ruled in favor of a prior decision to let the company dump this water without a permit, and without monitoring
Opposition Mounts As First Tar Sands Mine In US Gets A Green Light
By Melanie Jae Martin
Last week, a new front opened in the struggle against tar sands mining in the U.S. If you didn’t know that tar sands mining is in the works on this side of the border in the first place, you’re not alone. Most people don’t realize that tar sands extraction, which has caused tremendous pollution and environmental degradation in Canada, has crossed the border to U.S. soil, where it has taken root in Utah
Merchant of Mayhem: Prison Is Where Raj Thackeray Belongs To
By Samar
It is just that, we can continue ignoring all this at the cost of the very existence of our nation as a sovereign, secular, socialist and democratic republic. The threat to it comes in the shape of Thackerays. There are too many youth to get swayed by the vicious politics the Thackerays indulge in and the price of letting that happen would be way too high. The threat to Asha Tai might perhaps be our last wakeup call
Striving For Just Society
By Ram Puniyani
The verdict of magistrate Dr. Jyotsna Yagnik, sentencing Dr. Maya Kodnani, Babu Bajrangi and others to long imprisonment (31 August, 2012) has come as a big relief to the victims of Naroda Patiya, for whom it was like return of Eid to their houses. Naroda Patiya had witnessed horrific carnage and acts of rape in 2002 and this judgment will give a solace to the victims and their near and dear ones’
07 September , 2012
Obama Speech Caps Two Weeks Of Demagogy And Right-Wing Policies
By Patrick Martin
President Barack Obama’s speech Thursday night accepting the Democratic Party nomination for reelection brought two weeks of political demagogy at the Republican and Democratic national conventions to a shameful and repulsive conclusion. In its banality, hollowness, self-glorification and unadulterated lying, Obama’s address was typical of those delivered by the politicians of the two corporate-controlled parties that are vying for power in the 2012 election
Perpetual War
By John Scales Avery
For those who belong to the military-industrial complex, perpetual war is a blessing, but for the majority of the people of the world it is a curse. Since we who oppose war are the vast majority, can we not make our wills felt?
Bahrain Migraine For The USA
By Thomas C. Mountain
The year and a half long protest movement of the majority Shi’ite people of Bahrain could be forewarning of a crippling migraine headache for the USA if it succeeds in overthrowing the western installed Al Khalifah dictatorship that has ruled Bahrain since “independence”
Satyagraha In Idinthakarai On September 9
By People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy
The struggle committee demand that no fuel loading should take place at the KKNPP and the plant has to be converted into some other benign power project. And we are going to embark on a Satyagraha struggle on September 9, 2012, Sunday from Idinthakarai
From Idinthakarai With Love
As Told To Anitha.S
People involved in protest against Koodankulam nuclear power plant tell their story
06 September , 2012
Arctic Ice Melt 'Like Adding 20 Years Of CO2 Emissions'
By Susan Watts
The loss of Arctic ice is massively compounding the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, ice scientist Professor Peter Wadhams has told BBC Newsnight. White ice reflects more sunlight than open water, acting like a parasol. Melting of white Arctic ice, currently at its lowest level in recent history, is causing more absorption. Prof Wadhams calculates this absorption of the sun's rays is having an effect "the equivalent of about 20 years of additional CO2 being added by man"
Convenient Myths And Liberal Imperialism
By John Pilger
The Liberal Way to Run the World: “Improve” or We’ll Kill You
The Dark Side Of The “Green Economy”
By Jeff Conant
Why some indigenous groups and environmentalists are saying no to the “green economy.”
Enough Already: Overcoming Crisis Mentality And “Us verses Them” Thinking
By G. Scott Brown
What is required if we are to address the issues confronting us at root level is a “Great Turning”—a shift from a life-denying worldview and society to a life-affirming worldview and society—and there is no precedent for it. Nothing that has come before, and certainly no single-issue campaign, has come close to requiring such a sweeping and fundamental shift in our thinking and behavior. However big we make the enemy, if we make the crisis we face about an enemy “other,” we over simplify things and miss the root cause
‘No Religion!’: A Buddhist Monk’s Approach To Universal Religious Harmony
By Yoginder Sikand
I read the book in almost one long sitting, and by the time I finished I was convinced that what the Venerable Bhikkhu had to say was about the most sensible thing I’ve ever read on how to develop an understanding of religion/spirituality that can accommodate all religions, bringing people of different religious paths together to sink their deep-rooted conflicts and hatreds for each other
Palestinian Refugees From Syria Lost And ‘Betrayed’
By Ramzy Baroud
While there is no question that displaced Syrian refugees are going through a truly horrific experience during the civil war, the fate of Palestinian refugees is markedly worse. This is because Palestinians do not have the basic rights that passport-holding Syrian citizens do. ‘Stuck’, ‘stranded’ and ‘imprisoned’ are only some of the terms used to describe the state of Palestinian refugees, ill-treated and subjugated by none other than their ‘Arab brethren’
Will AB 2530 Unshackle Childbirth In California?
An Interview With Tina Reynolds And Vikki Law
By Angola 3 News
A bill opposing the shackling of pregnant prisoners, AB 2530 , has been passed unanimously by the California State Legislature and is now on Governor Jerry Brown's desk, with thirty days to either approve or veto it. Last year, a previous version of this bill was also passed unanimously by the Legislature, but it was ultimately vetoed by Governor Brown. With Governor Brown's decision expected anytime, local activists are urgently mobilizing to stop him from vetoing this important bill once again
Target Killing, Mass Murder Of Shia Minority In Pakistan
By Ismail Salami
With thousands of Shia Muslims killed over the past few years in Pakistan and over 400 murdered in recent months, the killings have practically amounted to genocide, raising more-than-sectarian alarm bells not only in Pakistan but also across the Muslim world
American Muslims Remain In The Dock 11 Years After 9/11
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Seven million-strong American Muslim community remained in the dock 11 years after 9/11 with Republican Party’s witch-hunt against Muslims in the U.S. government and meteorite rise in anti-Islam and anti-Muslim rhetoric in the 2012 election campaign
Reservation In Promotion Needed To Ensure Representation In Governance Structure
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
The bill for reservation in Promotion for SC-STs is cleared by the cabinet and will be introduced in Rajya Sabha today. Except for Samajwadi Party, all the parties have supported it. It does not reflect their good will but acceptance of understanding of situation in India. Reservations are meant to ensure representation of SC-STs in India’s power structure and must be seen beyond the narrow confines of politics
05 September , 2012
Saudi Arabia May Become Oil Importer by 2030
By Countercurrents.org
Flame of oil is not eternal. The horizon carries all signs of peak oil. Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter, risks becoming an oil importer in the next 20 years, according to Citigroup Inc. It will have far reaching and deep implication in life, society and politics
Syrian Opposition, Western Powers Push For Regime Change In Syria
By Johannes Stern
The Western powers and the pro-imperialist Syrian opposition are intensifying their campaign for regime change in Syria. On Monday the Syrian opposition reiterated its calls for military intervention in Syria, demanding more weapons to fight the regime of President Bashar al-Assad
The US And Israel, Not Iran, Threaten Peace
By Noam Chomsky
Why then is Iran the greatest threat to world peace, as seen in official Western discourse? The primary reason is acknowledged by U.S. military and intelligence and their Israeli counterparts: Iran might deter the resort to force by the United States and Israel. Furthermore Iran must be punished for its “successful defiance,” which was Washington’s charge against Cuba half a century ago
Deepwater Oil Spill: BP’s Gross Negligence And Willful Misconduct, Says US Court Paper
By Countercurrents.org
BP had “gross negligence and willful misconduct” over the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the largest in US history. The US justice department, in new court papers, gave examples of the “gross negligence and willful misconduct” over the spill
Morsi In Tehran: Strategic Realignment or A Safe Pair of Hands?
By Dan Glazebrook
Morsi’s comments this week that his commitment to Western-sponsored regime change in Syria was a “strategic necessity” is quite a candid admission. Morsi’s calculated posturing is an attempt to win credibility by appearing to distance himself from the US, whilst in reality working to win support for US goals both in Egypt – through the pursuance of an extreme neoliberal economic agenda – and in the wider region, by spearheading the latest incarnation of the West’s roadmap to Syrian regime change
The Vanishing Appeal Of Capitalism
By James Rothenberg
Using the symbolism of the Occupy movement, our economic system is working against 99% of us, and for 1% of us. The 1% don’t, and won’t, need Medicare and Social Security. The 99% need both more than ever. We know which way the debate is going on this, just like we know where the control lies when Wall Street is bailed out to the tune of trillions of dollars, in a week’s time at that, while the rest of the country, the 99%, goes wanting
04 September , 2012
Video - What The Economic Crisis Really Means - And What We Can Do About It
By Doingitourselves.org
Video: Unacceptable Risks In Pipeline Expansion To Vancouver
By Naomi Klein
Are We Doomed? Too Late To Save Earth?
By Gideon Polya
The World is facing a climate emergency due to global warming from man-derived greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution. The atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration is now 394 parts per million (ppm) and increasing at 2.4 ppm per year. We need to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentration to about 300 ppm for a safe planet for all peoples and all species. We understand the problem and have the technological solutions – the impending catastrophe simply does not have to happen. Are we going to be able to overcome the current political stasis and act before it is too late for Humanity and the Biosphere? Is it too late? Are we all doomed? This article records the opinions of leading scientists and writers on this terminal question for Humanity
Water Rising Up To The Necks Of Villagers Protesting Forced Evictions
By Sri Lanka Guardian
Indian villagers in the Omkareshwar Dam catchment area, part of the Narmada Valley Project, are continuing a protest to the death. They demand redress for their forced evictions, and for compensation for what they have lost. They have submerged themselves in the water, which has been rising steadily, and is now up to their necks. They are now on the tenth day
A Summer Of Extremes Signifies The New Normal
By Bill McKibben
This summer has seen record heat waves and wildfires in the U.S, the worst flooding in Beijing’s modern history, and droughts that devastated the U.S. corn crop and led India to set up “refugee camps” for livestock. These extreme events were not freak occurrences – this is how the Earth works now
Life Is Sacred
By Chris Hedges
They whisper the biblical reminder that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Love now, they tell us urgently, protect what is sacred, while there is still time. But now I go there also to mourn. I mourn for our future, for the fading majesty of the natural world, for the folly of the human species. The planet is dying. And we will die with it
Agriculture, Food Security, And Climate Change
By Concerned Citizens & Organizations
Civil Society Statement of Concern on the 2nd Global Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change in Hanoi, Viet Nam, 3-7 September 2012
What Is Money?
By Mary Logan
What happens when our fiat currencies die, as all currencies eventually do? It will eventually be worthless. When our monetary system fails, those who view money as a materialization or manifestation of our real economy will think that the world is ending. The end of a fiat currency is not the end of the world, particularly when money is increasingly spinning as a simulacrum in its accelerated information storm separated from real society at the upper levels of the financial system. It is only the end of the world for those emotionally invested in it as the reason for living
U.S. Militarism In Africa: Humanitarian Missions Or Imperialist Aggression?
By Abayomi Azikiwe
Africom is spreading its activity throughout the continent
'Lesser Evil' Voters: Stop Enabling Your Abusers (part 1)
By Mickey Z.
Every four years, the soft Left (and more than a few radicals) gleefully guzzle the Democrat Kool Aid. In 2004, it was “Anybody-But-Bush.” Four years ago, it was “Hope and Change.” It seems when you’re a liberal, harboring multiple delusions comes with the territory
The Day That Didn’t Change A Thing- Breivik, Values And U2
By Michael Robeson
September 11 was, perhaps, America’s last chance for a political discourse involving the question: What have we done to them that they would do this to us? Breivik’s attacks, may be the world community’s first opportunity to ask an altogether different question: If he did this to them, what are those he is fighting for planning to do to us?
The Politics Of Power: Burying Truth Through Resolutions
By William A. Cook
Condemning all forms of intolerance on the campuses of public postsecondary educational institutions in California would appear to be a desirable goal, and with the additional reference—“including anti-Semitism”—a furtherance of explicitness to guide deliberations, but only helpful if that term can be defined specifically and concretely to achieve meaningful discussion
Afghanistan’s Base Bonanza
By Nick Turse
U.S. planners are having similar dreams about the long-term garrisoning of Afghanistan. Whether the fate of those Afghan bases will be similar to Iraq’s remains unknown, but with as many as 550 of them still there -- and up to 1,500 installations when you count assorted ammunition storage facilities, barracks, equipment depots, checkpoints, and training centers -- it’s clear that the U.S. military and its partners are continuing to build with an eye to an enduring military presence
Oil Giants’ Onslaught Threaten Humanity’s Hope In Ecuador
By Countercurrents.org
But, hope is yet not lost. Initiatives are there that carry hope for humanity. Ecuador's Yasuni model is one such hope. A plan to preserve the most biodiverse region on Earth from oil exploitation has put Yasuni national park at the frontline of a global battle between living systems and fossil fuels. But enthusiasm is cooling and this bold project may now be at as much at risk as the wildlife itself as oil giants charge the land, charge life there in Yasuni
Women World: Saudi Female Film Director Defies Saudi Prejudice
By Countercurrents.org
Brave women around the world are fighting back authoritarian rule in all walks of life. Haifaa al-Mansour is the first Saudi Arabian woman to direct a feature film – Wadjda – entirely filmed in Saudi Arabia. Now, the film is in Venice film festival
'A Great Silence Is Spreading Over The Natural World': John Vidal
By Countercurrents.org
Musician and naturalist Bernie Krause has spent 40 years recording nature's sounds, over 15,000 species in many of the world's pristine habitats. But the rate of species and habitat loss is so high, huge and rapid that his tapes may become our only record of the original diversity of life
Belfast Blaze: Riot, Vehicles Alighted, Plastic Bullets Fired
By Countercurrents.org
Belfast experienced riot as public and private vehicles were hijacked and set alight. Police say they fired six plastic baton rounds as nine officers were injured in a second night of sectarian violence
Liberia Logged: Companies Control 60% Of Rainforest
By Countercurrents.org
Liberia, Africa’s oldest republic with a land of 99,067 sq km exporting diamonds, iron ore, rubber, timber, coffee, cocoa, has granted up to 60% of its rainforests logging companies
2 Million Friends: A New Approach In Afghanistan
By Johnny Barber
On December 10, 2012, International Human Rights Day, “2 Million Friends” will present a petition to the UN calling for an immediate ceasefire in Afghanistan, leading to direct, substantial talks to end the war, end the government corruption and begin to advocate for the welfare of the majority of the Afghan people who have suffered for too long
All Roads Lead To Tehran: 16th Non-Aligned Movement Summit Ends Iran’s Isolation
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
After staying virtually dormant for years, the 51 year-old Non-Aligned Movement of 120 countries took a center stage in Tehran last week which perhaps put on hold Iran’s prolonged diplomatic isolation
Independent Nations Must Move Toward New World Order: Jean Bricmont
By Kourosh Ziabari
Interview with Prof. Jean Bricmont , Belgian public intellectual
How Does The Media Report On Elephant Human Conflict?
By Marianne de Nazareth
The media is not sensitized sufficiently enough on why the man/elephant conflict is occuring and as a result, the stories which come out in the press are mostly one sided, skewed in favour of man and the elephant is demonized. If the media is sufficiently sensitized on the issue, they will write balanced articles which will help control the conflict and not fuel it to escalate still further
03 September , 2012
The Government Of Violence: The Massacre Of 17 Adivasis- A Video
By CRDO Fact Finding Team
An all-India fact-finding team of rights activists belonging to the Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations (CDRO) visited the area in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh where 17 adivasis died as a result of firing by CRPF forces on the night of June 28, 2012. The team visited the villages of Sarkeguda, Kottaguda and Rajpenta on July 6 and 7 and elicited information about the events
Terrorist Attacks Intensify After Western War Threats Against Syria
By Johannes Stern
Over the weekend the Western-backed opposition in Syria stepped up its attacks on government buildings, military facilities and civilians as it aims to bring down Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and install a pro-Western client regime in Damascus
Is The Syrian Crisis Being Leveraged To Weaken Hezbollah?
By Franklin Lamb
Following their one on one meeting last weekend, US secretary of state Clinton and Turkish Prime Minister Erdogon Hezbollah are seeking to intensify pressure on both Hezbollah and Syria. One project is reported to be US instructions to their March 14 allies to force a vote in Lebanon’s Parliament allowing the deployment of international troops along Lebanon’s northern border with Syria
Protest Against Poverty: Palestinian Man Dies After Setting Himself Alight
By Countercurrents.org
Mohamed Abu Nada, a Gaza man has died after setting himself alight, apparently in protest over his family's dire living conditions. Nada's father said: Nada wanted to draw attention to his family's poverty in Gaza
Archbishop Desmond Tutu: Bush, Blair Should FaceTrial At The Hague
By Countercurrents.org
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu called on September 2, 2012 for Blair and Bush to face prosecution at the International Criminal Court at The Hague for their role in the US-led invasion of Iraq
Egypt Update: Dozens Protest Charges Against Newspaper Editor Critical of Morsi
By Countercurrents.org
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Journalists' Syndicate in downtown Cairo on September 2 in support of Abdel-Halim Qandil, editor-in-chief of Sawt Al-Umma , who has been charged with “defaming the president” for an article published in his newspaper
Blood For Oil
By John Scales Avery
Looking at the present and threatend conflicts in the Middle East against the background of this history, must we not ask: To what extent are they too about oil?
An Integrated Strategy To Fight for Human Survival
By Robert J. Burrowes
If we are to effectively resist elite control and violence in our lives and take concrete steps to create our nonviolent world, then we must recognise the enormity of the psychological damage that individuals within the global power elite have suffered and accept that they cannot take responsibility for ending their violence. Instead, we must take responsibility for ending their violence while creating a world in which damaged individuals are unlikely to be created and, if they are created, they cannot wreak havoc on the rest of us
One Democratic State Gaining Momentum - Bethlehem Declaration
By Mazin Qumsiyeh
A conference of those interested in pushing the program of a single democratic state in historic Palestine was held Saturday 1 September 2012 at the Bethlehem Peace Center
All Eyes On Chicago's Teachers
By Shamus Cooke
It's impossible to exaggerate the national importance of the teachers’ struggle in Chicago. If the Chicago teachers’ union — 26,000 members strong — goes on strike, many critical yet ignored political issues will go into the national spotlight, exposing nastiness that many politicians and labor leaders would like ignored until after the presidential elections
Pakistan Rules Out Handing Over Dr Shakeel Afridi To US
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
No proposal is under consideration to hand over Dr Shakeel Afridi, who helped CIA in Osama Ben Laden compound raid in May 2011, to the United States, says chief of Pakistan’s spy agency Inter Services Intelligence
Cast Away Caste: Breaking New Grounds …
By Subhash Gatade
The left movement has often been criticized – and rightly so – for ignoring the social dimension of Indian reality and for its mechanical approach that attempts to reduce all social phenomena to the economic or the class dimension. It is high time that it sets its social agenda for the 21 st century
Why We Love The Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant?
By Anitha.S
It feels foolish now to mourn the death of democracy. We should celebrate it and usher in the new developments that support not the people of the country but the rich merchants from Russia , France and UK who have bought our land and waters cheap. The Real “Merchants of Venice” (courtesy : S.P.Udayakumar). We now love the KKNPP and celebrate the death of justice and transparency
Narendra Modi And Nitish Kumar: A Tale Of Two Friends
By Premkumar Mani
Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, the chief ministers of Gujarat and Bihar respectively, have, of late, been grabbing the headlines. Not only do their names begin with the same alphabet but they are also members of the same political alliance, NDA. But now, both are at loggerheads. At least it appears so
Have Censored Websites Broken Any Law?
By Garga Chatterjee
The government, with the heritage of Emergency, has learned from the past. Now it wants to build an atmosphere where Emergency need not even be declared. It is important that it is resisted. For an unaccountable state approximates Coco Chanel who said “I don’t care what you think about me. I don’t think about you at all.” And that stinks
Justice For The "Disappeared"
By Devika Mittal
“They had asked him to come for questioning but it has been five years now, he has still not returned…”
02 September , 2012
Video By Lizzie Phelan & Mostafa Afzalzadeh
IAEA Report Shows Iran Reduced Its Breakout Capacity
By Gareth Porter
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report made public Thursday reveals that Iran has actually reduced the amount of 20-percent enriched uranium available for any possible “breakout” to weapons grade enrichment over the last three months rather than increasing it
Why The Arctic Sea Ice Death Spiral Matters
By Neven Acropolis & Kevin McKinney
What happens in the Arctic, doesn’t stay in the Arctic. The rapid disappearance of sea ice cover can have consequences that are felt all over the Northern Hemisphere, due to the effects it has on atmospheric patterns
Supersexualised Market And The New Body Politic
Braj Ranjan Mani
The consumerist culture celebrates hypersexuality and peddles the idea that the young and the sexy means new brains, new bodies that bring in new approaches and new ideas. But this is appearance, not reality. It is not a movement away from the traditional trajectory of domination and subordination. The supersexualised market and its mindless validation encourage the assumption that feminist and all equalitarian struggles have ended, that equality for all women and men has been achieved, and the deserving lot can now have anything they want. Its sexy-selfish template trivialises all social commitment and mocks any serious engagement with arts, literature, politics, or spirituality
The Simplicity Exercises: A Sourcebook For Simplicity Exercises
By Mark A. Burch
Introduction to Mark Burch's book "The Simplicity Exercises: A Sourcebook for Simplicity Exercises"
Courting Injustice In The Name Of The Nuclear Nod
By Raminder Kaur
We now learn that the Madras High Court has given ‘the nod’ to the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (31 August 2012). No real surprises here, for courts siding with nuclear authorities have become common practice. Name one instance where a public petition against the plans of a nuclear authority, however well—founded and delivered, has overturned this unwritten rule in India
We, The Liberal Artists
By Aarti
Art work that reflects the problems of the structurally disadvantaged therefore does spread awareness at a limited level and is important, but what is of pressing need is scathingly honest work that is critical of liberal society. The aim must be to look inward, and realize that the problems don't lie elsewhere, but in our everyday interactions, our homes, the books we read, the movies we watch and the art that we make
01 September , 2012
RB Sreekumar, Teesta Setalvad Hails Verdict On Naroda Patiya Massacre
By NewzFist
The verdict of a special court in Gujarat that sentenced Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)legislator and former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani to 28 years in jail for her involvement in the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Naroda Patiya, has been welcomed by the rights’ defenders
Open Letter To Narendra Modi
By Sanjeev Bhatt
Mr. Modi, have you ever looked at your actual image, stripped of the designer dresses that you are so enamored with? Have you ever looked at the reflection of the real face behind the mask? Have you ever introspected about your true-self concealed behind the meticulous imagery created by your media managers?
Open Letter To Maya Kodnani
By Sanjeev Bhatt
You are a woman and a practicing gynaecologist. How could you participate in butchering innocent and helpless women and children? You never felt the pain of the people who were screaming for mercy, who were begging for their lives, who were ripped apart in cold blood, who had images of their dear ones in eyes when they were being slaugtered? Did you ever sleep in peace after that night? Did you celebrate any birthday ceremonies of your own after that?
NAM: Towards Breaking Western Stranglehold of Power
By Ismail Salami
Despite the West's deliberate inattention to and willful disregard for Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran, there is no denying the fact that the summit has occasioned extreme chagrin in Washington and Israel and that dialogue among civilizations in achieving global peace is still a powerful feasibility
Why The Western Media Are Angry At Tehran NAM Summit
By Kourosh Ziabari
The 16th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran was unquestionably a diplomatic triumph for Iran, and the Western politicians know this very well. Perhaps it's in this context that the frustration and annoyance of the Western state-run mainstream media at the Tehran summit can be explained
Targeting Civilians: The Erosion Of Ethical Principles During World War II
By John Scales Avery
Civilians have for too long played the role of passive targets, hostages in the power struggles of politicians. It is time for civil society to make its will felt. If our leaders continue to enthusiastically support the institution of war, if they will not abolish nuclear weapons, then let us have new leaders
WikiLeaks, Assange And The American Empire
By William Blum
We pledge allegiance to the republic for which America stands and not to its empire for which it is now suffering
Asking Jimmy Carter To Help End The Deadly Occupation of Poor Afghanistan
By Jay Janson
Jimmy Carter of late has made his name synonymous with seeking peace. Could he not step forward and defend this innocent population by recounting the 'Cold War' history that played out in 1979 in Afghanistan? Where is American gratitude toward Afghans, Taliban included, for their sacrifices made while doing their part to bring US victory in the "Cold War?' Help lessen US media unleashed enmity and call for ending occupation
Backwards Intentions In The War On Drugs
By Buddy Bell
We don't understand the puzzle of how to stop dominating and exploiting the world. Governments don't know how to treat drug addiction at home as an illness, to allow people abroad the means of living full lives without participation in the drug trade. We should not discount the lessons we might learn from meeting people with different, but not inferior, experiences and backgrounds. This is how we could stop walking “forward” with blinders on
M17: My OWS 6-Month Anniversary Story
By Mickey Z.
OWS is a setting in which connections can be more easily made and solidarity can develop and thrive. All you gotta' do is take a chance and step outside the norm... as I did on M17
Action Alert: Water Reaches Up To Chin Level Of Omkareshwar And Indira Sagar DamOustees
By Narmada Bachao Andolan
Oustees Of Omkareshwar And Indira Sagar Dam fighting for their rights and life need your support Oustees standing in dam water for last 7 days
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