Search This Blog

Showing posts with label COUNTERCURRENTS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label COUNTERCURRENTS. Show all posts

Sunday, February 13, 2022

CC Newsletter 13 Feb - Arctic Methane Threat

 

Dear Friend,

The atmospheric level of the potent greenhouse gas (GHG) methane (CH4) is increasing, and is now nearly triple the pre-industrial level. There is a positive feedback loop in the Arctic with increased methane leading to warming and thence to further increase in atmospheric methane. In the warming Arctic methane release is occurring from  huge methane-water clathrate deposits, and increasingly from permafrost melting and increased methanogenesis from anaerobic bacteria.

If you think the contents of this newsletter are critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our newsletter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/.

In Solidarity

Binu Mathew
Editor
Countercurrents.org



Arctic Methane Threat: Global Warming Increasing Bacterial Methanogenesis & Methane Release
by Dr Gideon Polya


The atmospheric level of the potent greenhouse gas (GHG) methane (CH4) is increasing, and is now nearly triple the pre-industrial level. There is a positive feedback loop in the Arctic with increased methane leading to warming and thence to further increase in atmospheric methane. In the warming Arctic methane release is occurring from  huge methane-water clathrate deposits, and increasingly from permafrost melting and increased methanogenesis from anaerobic bacteria.



Yemen, the war that should have never been and how to achieve peace
by John Smith


In military history, the term “we learn from history, that we never learned from history” could be no truer than in Yemen. Two wars are raging in Yemen that the United States and the UK are complicit in:
the first conflict has been a continuous counterterrorism battle against a Yemeni Al Qaeda’s affiliate, known as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and ISIS; the other is an intense civil war that has spread into other Middle East nations, initially Saudi Arabia but now also the United Arab Emirates.



High time to recognize the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka
by Thambu Kanagasabai


Genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka, including structural genocide, commenced in 1948 soon after the independence. The process of genocide in Sri Lanka culminated in the killings and disappearances of about 150,000 Tamils during the final stages of the genocidal war in 2009 which ended on May 18, 2009.



Public Intellectual – The Life of a Citizen Pilgrim
by Jim Miles


Writing an autobiography after experiencing
the greater part of a century as a public intellectual has resulted in Richard Falk’s superbly written story covering many of the major events of the Twentieth and nascent Twenty-first Centuries. Public Intellectual is densely written with ideas and actions interlocking with each other, presenting a life lived with integrity, all the while illuminating both the personal life and public life of a citizen pilgrim.



Religion and Identity in a Critical Time—Italian Philosopher’s Reflections
by K M Seethi


Widely acknowledged for her Italian translation of Sree Narayana Guru’s Atmopadesa Satakam, Indian Upanishads and several world classics, Dr Lei said that “religion, as part of the identity of an individual, group or civilization, should be inclusive and open to historical development; otherwise, it will lose, in the long run, the capacity to inspire real and
positive change in society.” But, she said, “Religion is always at the risk of being assimilated by a culture.”





Saturday, February 12, 2022

CC Newsletter 12 Feb - Ocean Heat Killing Spree

 

Dear Friend,

The oceans of the world are undergoing a dangerous and damaging upheaval that manifests throughout scientific studies of late. Whether it’s the world’s fisheries of the Bering Strait or coral reefs of the Mediterranean Sea or emaciated Gray Whales along the Pacific coastline, study after study after study describes sudden, sharp downturns in all categories of marine life. What is going on?

If you think the contents of this newsletter are critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our newsletter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/.

In Solidarity

Binu Mathew
Editor
Countercurrents.org



Ocean Heat Killing Spree
by Robert Hunziker


The oceans of the world are undergoing a dangerous and damaging upheaval that manifests
throughout scientific studies of late. Whether it’s the world’s fisheries of the Bering Strait or coral reefs of the Mediterranean Sea or emaciated Gray Whales along the Pacific coastline, study after study after study describes sudden, sharp downturns in all categories of marine life. What is going on?



Fossil Fuel Companies and Their Mouthpieces Offer Net-Zero Logic on Climate Change
by Sonali Kolhatkar


Oil and gas CEOs were too chicken to show up to a recent congressional hearing—perhaps fearing that their climate pledges will be revealed as nothing more than slick PR.



The Terrible Fate Facing the Afghan People
by Vijay Prashad


On February 8, 2022, UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) Afghanistan sent out a bleak set of tweets. One of the tweets, which included
a photograph of a child lying in a hospital bed with her mother seated beside her, said: “Having recently recovered from acute watery diarrhea, two years old Soria is back in hospital, this time suffering from edema and wasting. Her mother has been by her bedside for the past two weeks anxiously waiting for Soria to recover.” The series of tweets by UNICEF Afghanistan show that Soria is not alone in her suffering. “One in three adolescent girls suffers from anemia” in Afghanistan, with the country struggling with “one of the world’s highest rates of stunting in children under five: 41 percent,” according to UNICEF.



Justice for Lakhimpur Kheri Massacre
by Navsharan Singh


The crushing of farmers in Tikunia, Lakhimpur Kheri, under the wheels of a speeding convoy of cars associated with Ajay Mishra Teni, state minister for Home and a member of the Lok Sabha from the Kheri constituency, is a most
disturbing face of this violence.  The details of the massacre are brought out in a comprehensive fact-finding report Tekunia Lakhimpur Kheri Massacre, by an all-India team of democratic rights activists.



Interpreting Karnataka’s Hijab Row
by Yanis Iqbal


In Karnataka, there have been incidents of Muslim girls being banned from attending college for wearing hijab; when they insisted on exercising their right to do so, Hindu students donned saffron scarves to intimidate them, raising slogans of “Jai Shri Ram (praise Lord Ram)” while going to college. In response to these events, the state’s Education Department said, “In some education institutions, the boys and girls have started behaving according to their religion, which hurts equality and unity…clothes which disturb equality, integrity and public law and order should not be worn”.



Begampura conference of Dalit agriculture labourers demands
land for the landless
by Harsh Thakor


The message was most effectively transmitted to the participants how inspite of inducting welfare laws and making promises to concerned rights lakhs of acres of land remain with higher caste absentee landlords or politicians.



The missing ‘worker’ in Budget 2022 and its implications
by J John


Two popular words — ‘worker’ and ‘labourer’ were absent in the finance minister’s speech. This signifies a paternalistic approach to workers where workers are not holders of any legitimate rights over re-distributed wealth.






Tuesday, February 8, 2022

CC Newsletter 08 Feb - The Thucydides Trap: Stumbling blindly into nuclear war

 

Dear Friend,

On a rapidly warming planet engulfed by bush fires, collapsing glaciers, floods and rising oceans the last thing needed is the growing threat of a nuclear war between superpowers possessing fatal arsenals capable of poisoning the atmosphere, the water and billions of living creatures. The current impasse between two superpowers, the US vs Russia + China, threatening to grow into a nuclear war, endangering the future of civilization and much of nature, echoes the Peloponnesian wars between Athens and Sparta for control of the Aegean world , witnessed by Thucydides, the Greek general and historian.

If you think the contents of this newsletter are critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our newsletter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/.

In Solidarity

Binu Mathew
Editor
Countercurrents.org



The Thucydides Trap: Stumbling blindly into nuclear war
by Dr Andrew Glikson


On a rapidly warming planet engulfed by bush fires, collapsing glaciers, floods and rising oceans the last thing needed is the growing threat of a nuclear war between superpowers possessing fatal arsenals capable of poisoning the atmosphere, the water and billions of living creatures. The current impasse between two superpowers, the US vs Russia + China, threatening to grow into a nuclear war, endangering the future of civilization and much of nature, echoes the Peloponnesian wars between Athens and Sparta for control of the Aegean world , witnessed by Thucydides, the Greek general and historian.



War tensions mount as EU powers hold talks in Moscow, Washington
by Alex Lantier


After
thousands of US troops arrived in Eastern Europe this weekend to threaten Russia’s western borders, the European Union (EU) powers held high-level talks yesterday. French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz went to Washington for talks with US President Joe Biden, both to discuss NATO propaganda claims that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine.



China’s support is a game changer for Russia
by M K Bhadrakumar


During the visit by President Vladimir Putin to Beijing on Friday, the world attention was focused on how far China would go in support of Russia in the latter’s standoff with the US and NATO. From the joint statement issued after the visit, China has given fulsome support to Russia, endorsing Moscow’s demand for security guarantee and its opposition to NATO expansion, the two core issues.



What the
Cuban Missile Crisis Can Teach Us About Today’s Ukraine Crisis
by Lawrence S Wittner


Commentators on the current Ukraine crisis have sometimes compared it to the Cuban missile crisis.  This is a good comparison―and not only because they both involve a dangerous U.S.-Russian confrontation capable of leading to a nuclear war.



Great Barrier Reef Fantasies: The Morrison Government’s Electoral Ploy
by Dr Binoy Kampmark


There are some things that strain credulity.  There are the dubious accounts of virgin births.    There are the resolute flat earth theorists and denialists of the moon landing.  To this can be added the environmental stance of Australia’s Scott Morrison and his ministers, one resolutely opposed to the empirical world.  We are now at the phoney stage
of an electoral war, and, with the government in more than a spot of bother, you can start expecting some rather extravagant promises of public spending.



How Inequalities Reduced the Ability of Even the Biggest Economy to Meet the Needs of Its People
by Bharat Dogra


Problems of the bottom half of the population in the USA are much more serious than is commonly realized



The Great Disconnect Part 3….
by Philip A Farruggio


The ignorant continue to deny vaccinations and deny face masks as a ‘ Fools badge of courage’.  They are so fixated on the terrible sin of blackness and gayness that they miss the fact that the right wing is nibbling on their bones. It has always been this Military Industrial Empire that looks at all of us working stiffs and unemployed as serfs, even
slaves.



It  is high time UN to right its wrong in Sri Lanka
by Kumarathasan Rasingam


Genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka. UN Failed to apply R2P and protect the Massacre of 147,000 Tamils



Welcoming the opposition to Centre’s likely move to privatise Singareni Collieries
by E A S Sarma


On the imminent likelihood of privatisation of the Singareni Collieries, having worked in the Telangana region in different capacities, especially in the esastern parts of the Adilabad district where Singareni company operates, also as a former Principal Adviser (Energy) in the Planning Commission and as the former Union Power Secretary, I am well aware of the heritage value of Singareni Collieries for Telangana people and its critical role in meeting the coal requirements of Telangana and
the other southern States.



An autofiction Manifesto
by Joshy Joseph


I was making all kinds of films all these years, but mostly non-fiction films. The idiom of story-telling  in my  films were  more or less indebted to a fictional tradition.  I pushed the boundaries to such an extent that it  becomes invalid after a point if I could hook my viewers. In some  films,  obviously a viewer –  friendly  idiom happened  and in some others a labyrinth signaled to more subterranean plots.





Monday, February 7, 2022

CC Newsletter 07 Feb - US death toll from COVID-19 heading toward 1 million

 

Dear Friend,

Today at 5:00 p.m., the US National Cathedral’s bell will ring 900 times, to mark 900,000 American dead from COVID-19. It has been just 55 days—less than two months—since the bells of the cathedral rang to commemorate 800,000 deaths. And, at the present daily death rate of 2,700, it will take just 37 more days for the United States to register a million dead.

If you think the contents of this newsletter are critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our newsletter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/.

In Solidarity

Binu Mathew
Editor
Countercurrents.org



US death toll from COVID-19 heading toward 1 million
by Andre Damon


Today at 5:00 p.m., the US National Cathedral’s bell will ring
900 times, to mark 900,000 American dead from COVID-19. It has been just 55 days—less than two months—since the bells of the cathedral rang to commemorate 800,000 deaths. And, at the present daily death rate of 2,700, it will take just 37 more days for the United States to register a million dead.



The Double Whammy of Hunger and Livelihood Crises after Covid-19
by Sumit Chaturvedi


The pandemic wreaked havoc on Pappu Singh and Sheela Devi’s family, residents of Nagla Vidhichand village situated on the Agra-Gwalior highway in the southern part of Agra district. While none of their family members fell prey to the Covid-19 infection, their five-year old daughter Sonia did succumb to starvation induced death on August 21, 2020 following the lockdown.



Whither India’s Sovereign Green Bonds
by Kavaljit Singh


In her Union Budget 2022 speech on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the issuance of sovereign green bonds during the upcoming fiscal year. “As a part of the government’s overall market borrowings in 2022-23, sovereign green bonds will be issued for mobilizing resources for green infrastructure. The proceeds will be deployed in public sector projects which help in reducing the carbon intensity of the economy,” Ms. Sitharaman stated. Several Indian non-financial corporations have issued a variety of green bonds in recent years, but this will be the country’s first sovereign green bond issuance.



NFIW Condemns exclusion of young Muslim girls on Hijab issue in Karnataka
Press Release


The National Federation of Indian women (NFIW) unequivocally condemns the exclusion of
young Muslim girls from universities and schools in Karnataka, on the flimsy grounds that their attire is not appropriate. The administration caved in to the demand by a group of saffron scarved boys to ban women wearing hijab from entering the premises of educational institutions.



Who stands to gain if LIC bleeds?
by Anirban Bhattacharya


The Finance Minister declared the government’s disinvestment plans for the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). Already, amendments to the LIC Act have been made to set in motion the LIC IPO. This has triggered panic waves across the large sections of ordinary policy holders who are anxious about their life’s savings. It has also led to widespread criticisms and protests from economists as well as the LIC employees.



Fahad Shah and the Tragic Fate of Journalism in Kashmir
by Peoples Union for Democratic Rights


The recent arrest of Fahad Shah, editor of Kashmir Walla, under S 13 of UAPA and S 124 A and 505 of IPC for ‘uploading anti-national content’ raises a debate about the fate of journalism in times of conflict. Shah was arrested as he had uploaded Inayat Ahmad Mir’s family’s protest over the police’s claim that Mir was a “hybrid terrorist”—an unlisted and camouflaged militant—in the encounter that had happened in his house in Naira Pulwama on January 30, 2022.



Sri Lankan Tamils Wait For Crucial 49th UNHRC Session For Justice
by Thambu Kanagasabai


In the March 2022 UNHRC Sessions Human Rights Commissioner Her Excellency Michael Bachelet is expected to present her oral Report on progress made by Sri Lanka in respect of various UNHRC Resolutions passed since 2015



Women
Led Movements Against Liquor Consumption
by Bharat Dogra


In this context of the growing urgency of reducing alcohol consumption significantly it is heartening to note that in recent decades several social movements in India have achieved significant success in reducing alcohol consumption in their limited areas of action for more or less significant durations of time. These movements almost inevitably had a leading role of women.This has significant lessons for the way forward in reducing alcohol consumption.







Sunday, February 6, 2022

CC Newsletter 06 Feb - Amnesty International Calling Israel an Apartheid State shakes the Zionist state

 

Dear Friend,

Amnesty International’s declaration of Israel as an apartheid state was a resounding announcement that resonated worldwide. The importance of this announcement is that it came from an organization with a respected reputation globally. Amnesty international has human rights lawyers who study every word before publishing the report.

If you think the contents of this newsletter are critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our newsletter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/.

In Solidarity

Binu Mathew
Editor
Countercurrents.org



Amnesty International Calling Israel an Apartheid State shakes the Zionist state
by Dr Salim Nazzal


Amnesty International’s declaration of Israel as an apartheid state was a
resounding announcement that resonated worldwide. The importance of this announcement is that it came from an organization with a respected reputation globally. Amnesty international has human rights lawyers who study every word before publishing the report.



Amnesty’s Israeli Apartheid Report Versus Zionist, IHRA & US Lies
by Dr Gideon Polya


Amnesty International’s 2022 report exposing and condemning Israeli apartheid has provoked false allegations of lying and anti-Semitism from the mendacious and  genocidally racist Zionists and their US Alliance supporters.  In actuality, denial of Israeli apartheid is a lie, and the Zionists and their supporters  are manifestly mendacious, and both  anti-Arab anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish anti-Semitic by falsely defaming anti-racist Jewish, Arab, Palestinian and Muslim critics of Apartheid Israel.



The Curious Case of the State of Israel
– A Country Without Borders
by Anthony Fulton


If Israel is perceived as an apartheid state, then there is a link to this frontierism, to choices made by Israeli voters regarding borders. You can’t defend Israel against such accusations if you do not consider the West Bank to be ‘abroad’. The evidence of the last fifty years suggests that Israel is a frontier settler state set on expansion beyond ‘indefensible’ pre-1967 borders. How long can Palestinians live within these frontiers without rights? The international community and many Israeli citizens seem happy to avoid the question.



Hemispheric Gangsterism: The US Embargo Against Cuba Turns 60
by Dr Binoy Kampmark


It all seems worn, part of an aspic approach to foreign policy.  But US President Joe Biden is keen to
ensure that old, and lingering mistakes, retain their flavour.    Towards Cuba, it is now 60 years since President John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Proclamation 3447 imposed an embargo on all trade with the island state.



Covid Mandate Protests: ‘Freedom Convoy’ Blockades Leave Ottawa On Edge
by Countercurrents Collective


Canada’s capital Ottawa on Saturday was bracing for a surge of demonstrators to join a week-long protest against public health measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that has blockaded much of the downtown core, unnerved residents and been described by officials as an “occupation” and a “siege.”



Russia – China pledge to expand cooperation
Press Release


Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the International
Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development



Signature Campaign: Citizens Demand Repeal of Anti-Conversion Laws in India
by Concerned Citizens


We, the citizens of secular and democratic India, are shocked to witness the , moves of the state governments ruled by the BJP and other political parties, targeting Christians, Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis and Hindu women using Anti-Conversion Laws in India.



Shopping Mall or Shocking Mall
by Moumita Alam


Eight farmers have taken their own lives.
The dead certificate is very crystal clear.
It’s suicide not murder.
The potatoes they had to sell
In zero profit
Are in shopping trolley now
With a tip – top price tag.



Rahul Gandhi and Our Constitution
by Hiren Gohain


The initial remarks in Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Parliament the motion of thanks to the President’s speech have provoked a storm of abuse from BJP ranks within and outside the house.The matter needs some scrutiny





Saturday, February 5, 2022

CC Newsletter 05 Feb - Afghanistan: Suffering skyrockets as US replaces soldiers with sanctions

 

Dear Friend,

Though barely covered on U.S. evening news, Afghanistan cannot import and export goods, collect taxes, or pay public workers since the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. Residents cannot withdraw their money from bank deposits. Hospitals have run out of medicine. The United States of America and all of its allies in this decimating war must immediately halt the paralyzing money freeze and sanctions.

If you think the contents of this newsletter are critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our newsletter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/.

In Solidarity

Binu Mathew
Editor
Countercurrents.org



Afghanistan: Suffering skyrockets as US replaces soldiers with sanctions
by Dr Steven Strauss


Though barely covered on U.S. evening news, Afghanistan cannot import and export goods, collect taxes, or pay public workers since the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. Residents cannot withdraw their money from bank deposits. Hospitals have run out of medicine. The United States of America and all of its allies in this decimating war must immediately halt the paralyzing money freeze and sanctions.



China’s Olympic Battle for Legitimacy: The Prehistory of the 2022 Beijing Games
by Charles Xu


Only through the lens of history can we understand why China fought so hard for a place in the Olympics on its own terms: to heal the scars of both exploitative Western colonialism and civil war.



AP reporter challenges US lies about Russian war preparations
by Eric
Zuesse


Matt Lee — the AP’s senior member of the State Department Correspondent’s Association and now virtually the lone member who demands that the State Department not lie to the press as had happened constantly about “Saddam’s WMD” in 2002 and has happened many times since then — challenged on February 3rd the State Department spokesperson Ned Price’s much-publicized press-conference allegation that “the United States has information that Russia is planning to stage fabricated attacks by Ukrainian military or intelligence forces as a pretext for a further invasion of Ukraine.”



The U.S. Appears To Be On The Path To ‘Some Form Of Civil War’, Says Billionaire Investor Ray Dalio
by Countercurrents Collective


Billionaire
investor Ray Dalio said on Thursday that the US appears to be on the path to “some form of civil war.” Dalio based his analysis on historical cases — arguing that the combination of financial burdens, such as large deficits, high taxes and inflation, and large wealth and value gaps in a nation “leads to some sort of fighting for control.”



The Five (Rosa) Luxemburgs
by Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young


In January 2022, the East-Germany city of Leipzig started to host an exhibition about the siblings of one of Germany’s greatest anti-war activists, working class speaker, theoretician of mass strike, and a struggling working class: Rosa Luxemburg. Yet, unlike her well-known political activist side, this new exhibition focuses on the much less known years of Luxemburg’s so-called “Polish life”. Almost to this day, Rosa Luxemburg was murdered by fascist 103 years ago on 15th January 1919. 



An Inconvenient
Truth:    The Peasant Food Web Feeds the World
by Colin Todhunter


While not all small farms might be practising agroecology or chemical-free agriculture, they are more likely to be integral to local markets and networks, short supply chains, food sovereignty, more diverse cropping systems and healthier diets. And they tend to serve the food requirements of communities rather than those of external business interests, institutional investors and shareholders half a world away.



America, NATO and Russia:  Why War and Not Peace?
by Dr Mahboob A Khawaja


The on-going war syndrome between America, NATO and Russia typifies what can go wrong when human thinking evolution is restricted to imaginary temptations and compulsions of animosities.



A Practical Radical Politics
by Robert Jensen


In this essay I want to present a case for a practical radical politics—holding onto radical analyses while making decisions based on our best reading of the threats and opportunities in the moment. This requires consistency in analysis (which is always a good thing) while being wary of dogmatism in strategy (which is almost always a bad thing).



US corporate media and Israel
by Ron Forthofer


Given Israel’s misperception, it is waging a campaign to limit any discussion about its illegal and immoral actions. Unfortunately, even without any Israeli campaign, the US corporate media already aids Israel through its lack of coverage or its downplaying the effects of Israeli violations.



The Origin of Neoconservatism
by Eric Zuesse


Neoconservatism (advocacy of control over the
entire planet by America’s Government — i.e., of a universal American empire or “hegemony”) was first stated in 1877, by the British empire’s colonialist Cecil Rhodes (founder of Rhodesia and of South Africa as British colonies)



Is Digital Ethnography reliable for translating our reality?
by Prof Raashid Nehal & Zain Mohammad Sulaiman


Digital or Virtual Ethnography is using online digital resources and data for reporting and documentation often used by media professionals. Media professionals access different dimensions of online data done on different digital platforms such as making videos for YouTube or sharing photos on Internet services such as Flickr, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other digital platforms. Digital ethnography was first introduced by media professionals only, so as to conceptualize the internet as a new kind of social space.



Badshah Khan Played A
Crucial Role in Freedom Movement’s Consensus on Inter-Faith Harmony
by Bharat Dogra


Within the main Congress led movement Mahatma Gandhi, Badshah Khan ( Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan ), Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Azad were the most important pillars of inter-faith harmony, although many other leaders of great stature also contributed much to this.



Only by projecting revolutionary alternative can fascism be toppled in Uttar Pradesh
by Harsh Thakor


Today the reign of Adityanath Yogi is reminiscent of a ruthless emperor retaining the throne, even at the cost of trampling on the people. Hindu Communal fascism is simmering at a boiling point. This despite the fact that people in Uttar Pradesh, mainly agrarian and mostly backward state,
have suffered a lot from criminal conduct of the State government during the Corona second wave.



Adivasis ignored in the Budget
Press Release


The Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch considers the Union Budget of 2022-2023 as a cruel betrayal of needs of the tribal communities of India. It is not an Amrit kaal but a Vish Kaal for tribal communities, because none of the urgent issues such as hunger, joblessness, loss of livelihood which haunt tribal communities have been even remotely addressed in this budget.



Pegasus: The new Cyber Weapon for dismantling democracy
by George Abraham


The New York Times recently reported that India had purchased the Pegasus software from an Israeli company, NSO, as part of the multi-billion-dollar armaments deal that included sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear. The report also said
that the purchase was finalized during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel and cleared by the then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2017.



Rejection of Sri Narayana Guru Float for Republic Day Celebrations!
by Dr Ram Puniyani


This year (2022) they rejected the displays from West Bengal, Tamilnadu and Kerala in particular, on the ground that only 12 such displays are to be exhibited. In case of Kerala display, there was another aspect which came to surface. The jury (Defense ministry) in charge of the selection of floats advised the Kerala Government that instead of Sri Narayana Guru float which they had submitted, they can prepare the tableaux of Shankaracharya, who also hails from Kerala.



Are digital education programs in India accessible for persons with disabilities?
Press Release


How do students with disabilities access online classes? Is there currently any guideline or policy of the government which educational institutes need to follow?







Friday, February 4, 2022

CC Newsletter 04 Feb - The Blockade Against Cuba Turns 60

 

Dear Friend,

It’s easy to say, but it’s been six very hard decades that began with disconcerting lightness and the belief that the United States government’s blockade of Cuba would not last long—a couple of years, maybe.

If you think the contents of this newsletter are critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our newsletter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/.

In Solidarity

Binu Mathew
Editor
Countercurrents.org



The Blockade Against Cuba Turns 60
by Rosa Miriam Elizalde


It’s easy to say, but it’s been six very hard decades that began with disconcerting lightness and the belief that the United States government’s blockade of Cuba would not last long—a couple of years, maybe.



The Hypocrisy of the
‘Diplomatic Boycott’ of the 2022 Beijing Olympics
by Charles Xu


Which human rights matter enough to put politics above sports? For decades, the United States and its European allies have gotten to decide the answer at their convenience.



US pips regional states at race for Kabul
by M K Bhadrakumar


In a hugely consequential advisory, the US Treasury Department quietly signalled on Wednesday that it was “tweaking” the sanctions against the Haqqani Network. The international banks can transfer money to Taliban, including Haqqani Network without fear of breaching sanctions.



Scenario for a War in Eastern Ukraine: The United States Views Russians Just as the Nazi’s Did in World War II
by John Stanton


As President Joe Biden announced the transfer of 2000 US troops to Poland and Germany on February 3, 2022, and the movement of an additional 1000 troops from Western Europe to Romania, I shook my head and looked to the sky thinking, “the United States and its elites really want a war with Russia, both economic and military. US generals want to use tanks, missiles, and aircraft against a near-peer competitor. They can’t beat sandal wearing insurgents in Afghanistan, so they want to mix it up with the A-Team, i.e., Russia.”



Towards Human Fraternity
by Cedric Prakash


On all counts 4 February 2019 was a memorable day for the world! On that day, Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad al-Tayyib, met in Abu Dhabi, and together signed the historic and pathbreaking
document entitled ‘Human fraternity for world peace and living together’. The document is one of the most comprehensive ones written in recent times. It not only analyses the realities which grip mankind today but also provides a blueprint for all in order to address and ultimately overcome the hate, divisiveness and violence of today!



The Budget 2022-23: Insipid and Cheerless
by Shrikant Modak


The unceasing bench thumping in the parliament at the treasury benches on the budget day, gave an impression as if the budget was packed with a pile of path breaking initiatives. But the facts speak otherwise. There is nothing much to commend in the budget.



What a Waste! $778 Billion for the Pentagon and Still Counting
by William D Hartung


2021 was another banner year for the military-industrial complex,
as Congress signed off on a near-record $778 billion in spending for the Pentagon and related work on nuclear warheads at the Department of Energy. That was $25 billion more than the Pentagon had even asked for.



The quota rants and its impact on marginal students
by Ritu


The apex court delivered a judgement on 20th January 2022 authored by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice A.S. Bopanna about extending reservation to OBCs in all-India quota (AIQ) of seats in admission to under-graduate and post-graduate medical and dental courses. The landmark judgement is perceived as a tool to demolish false narratives regarding reservation, especially the merit of marginalised students, i.e., SC, ST and OBCs.



Politics of the farmers movement!
by Dr Prem Singh


The peasant movement was kept apolitical in the sense that the leaders of any political party were not allowed to
use the platform of the movement. However, the opposition parties/leaders supported the movement and tried to win the sympathy of the farmers so that they could take electoral advantage of the farmers’ resentment against the government/BJP. In view of the simultaneous assembly elections in five states, the government abruptly withdrew the agri-laws, without further discussions with farmer leaders. This move of the government is a proof that the movement had the potential to create political influence against the ruling party. Especially in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.



162 Doctors Express Serious Concerns About GM Foods in India
by Bharat Dogra 


In recent weeks several groups which have been active on food safety issues have expressed  concens about the serious health hazards involved in the increased possibility of introduction of imported or domestic GM foods in India.
These concerns have been also related to the process of creating a regulatory framework by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).



Hands Against Racism goes global
by Press Release


Already in its eighth year, an anti-racism campaign started by Canada-based Spice Radio got a major boost when world renowned humanitarian Ravi Singh joined it on Wednesday, February 2



Hindutva and the Crisis of Public Institutions in India
by Bhabani Shankar Nayak 


The Hindutva forces led by the BJP and shaped by the RSS and its affiliated organisations are restructuring India and Indian society to re-establish privileges and interests of higher castes and capitalist classes. Such a catastrophic reorganisation is based on dominance of Brahminical social order to facilitate capitalist market into every sphere of
Indian society, where citizens are going to be converted into customers



Nostalgic for the Future
by Edward Curtin


But now is always, and like its twin – exile – nostalgia is perpetual.  The aching for “home” – from Greek algos, pain + nostos, homecoming – is not simply a desire for the past, whether in reality or imagination, time or place, but a passionate yearning for the best from the past to be brought into the future.





"Look Me In The Eye" | Lucas Kunce for Missouri

  Help Lucas Kunce defeat Josh Hawley in November: https://LucasKunce.com/chip-in/ Josh Hawley has been a proud leader in the fight to ...