Dear Friend,
Massive flooding inundated broad swaths of the US northeast on Wednesday night, including New York City and downstate New York, as well as New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Areas of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts were also flooded, and tornadoes were reported on Cape Cod. At least 43 people are dead and more than 250,000 households and businesses are without power. Subway and commuter rail services were halted in many areas, roads were closed and the homes of hundreds of thousands of people were damaged or destroyed.
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Binu Mathew
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Countercurrents.org
At least 43 dead as massive storm ravages US northeast
by Sandy English
Massive flooding inundated broad swaths of the US northeast on Wednesday night, including New York City and downstate New York, as well as New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Areas of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts were also flooded, and tornadoes were reported on Cape Cod. At least 43 people are dead and more than 250,000 households and businesses are without power. Subway and commuter rail services were halted in many areas, roads were closed and the homes of hundreds of thousands of people were damaged or destroyed.
Brazil’s Fierce Drought
by Robert Hunziker
The Amazon rainforest is arguably the world’s premier asset. Indeed, it’s the world’s most crucial asset in a myriad of ways, nothing on Earth compares.
Yet, it is infernally stressed because of inordinate drought. The bulk of the Amazon rainforest is located in Brazil, where, according to the title of an article in NASA, Earth Observatory, the country headline says it all: “Brazil Battered by Drought.”
Blinken Says No to Greenland Real Estate
by Dr Binoy Kampmark
With the Biden administration looking inwards, expressions of interest for Greenland, at least from the US, have closed. This is unlikely to be a permanent state of affairs. The ice is melting; global warming is a terror for the environment but a delicious commercial boon for strategists hoping for easier access to the Arctic. Russia is proving a more than formidable player. China, along with Russia, dream of the Ice Silk Road. US officials fret that Beijing might get a military foothold on the island. This real estate story is far from over.
Afghanistan – Ominous echoes from
the past
by Sumanta Banerjee
Developments in Afghanistan, prior to and after its takeover by the Taliban, remind us of the political realignment of global powers in Europe on the eve of the 2nd World War. Although a tiny state (covering 652,000 km – slightly smaller than Texas – with a population of 26.5 million), Afghanistan might well be the pivot on which the reconfiguration of today’s global geo-politics would turn
India’s Afghan Policy : A Review (Part-2)
by Ramakrishnan
India’s Afghan Policy is subservient to the super power strategic interests of US; therefore it does not contribute to peace, regional or global. It is being used, aided by frenzied stories in a biased media, in a not too subtle manner to polarize India along communal lines. It weakens and isolates India in the region and the world; it is not a
united approach within India and cannot unite Indian people behind it.
Biden gives green signal to US-China thaw
by M K Bhadrakumar
The visit to Tianjin by President Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry on September 1-3 is assuming a huge dimension holding promise as a defining moment in the tense bilateral relationship between China and the US. Unlike Kerry’s previous visit in April to Shanghai, his conversation has broadened and deepened this time around, going well beyond climate change issues.
The Kharasrota River Not for Sale
by Bhabani Shankar Nayak
In order to supply water to the Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL) in the Bhadrak district, the Government of Odisha is using its Basudha Drinking Water Scheme. The DPCL is a 100% subsidiary of the Adani Ports and SEZ. The Government of Odisha is spending Rs 892.14 crore to
supply water to the Adani Ports and SEZ in the name of supplying water to the people of Bhadrak district
50th Martyrdom Anniversary of Saroj Dutta
by Harsh Thakor
Around a month on August 5th, we commemorated the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Saroj Dutta, which was landmark or black day in the history of the Indian Communist movement.
Apple Growers in Himachal Protest Against Denial of Fair Price
by Bharat Dogra
The last week in Himachal Pradesh has witnessed a surge of disappointment and discontent among apple growers of Himachal Pradesh as the price received by them has been much below their expectations. Local newspapers have been full of these reports and Amar Ujala, a leading Hindi newspaper, went to the extent of full page coverage of this issue, apart from highlighting it on
front page.
‘Fearless Mind’ for freedom from Oppression
by T Navin
The book by Vivek Pandit titled ‘Fearless Minds’ tries to emphasize this point. The book draws lessons through experiences from grassroots organizing around issues of bonded labor. It deals with the issues such as importance of understanding power, pathways to organizing, importance of understanding the opposition, steps to be taken for organizing, tools of non-violent struggle, campaign strategy, tactics of struggle and negotiation.
Dark Shadows – Domestic Violence and the Middle Class
by Shantanu Dutta
Domestic violence is the most common form of violence against women. It affects women across the life span from sex selective abortion of female fetuses to forced suicide and abuse, and is evident, to some degree, in every
society in the world.
Covid forces artists in Jaipur’s sculpting and blue pottery industry to switch jobs
by Tabeenah Anjum
The livelihood of around 25,000 artisans working in the sculpting industry in Jaipur has been badly hit. While some have already switched their fields, others are yet to find a solution and are hopeful that things may improve.
A Simple COVID Solution For The Human Race
by Irwin Jerome
Let's all pull together and eliminate the world's dreaded COVID crisis along with the climate crisis! It's the most simple, straight forward solution for the human race
Nithin Lukose Film, Paka (River of Blood), Makes it to Toronto Festival
by Suresh Nellikode
As the City of Toronto is less than a week away from the ‘Festival of Festivals’ Indian Cinema has nothing much to write home about except two movies, although the total number of films selected for screening is one-third of its usual strength. And that too not from the major filmmakers. Nithin Lukose’s PAKA (River of Blood) and Ritwik Pareek’s DUG DUG are the only two movies from India showing up at the 46th edition of Toronto International Film Festival 2021
