CounterCurrents: Energy Limits: Why We See Rising Wealth Disparity And Low Prices, Another Side To Food Waste

Dear Friend,

If you think the content of this news letter is 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 news letter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/. You can also follow us on twitter,http://twitter.com/countercurrents and on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/countercurrents

In Solidarity
Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org


The Chilcot Report Is Out, Tony Blair Apologises But Still Justifies His Decision

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/06/the-chilcot-report-is-out-tony-blair-apologises-but-still-justifies-his-decision/

The Chilcot report that enquired into Britain’s decision to join US coalition that attacked Iraq which was released today finds that Britain decided to join the 2003 invasion of Iraq based on “flawed intelligence”. John Chilcot, the chair of the Iraq Inquiry said that the invasion went “badly wrong”.

FBI Rejects Criminal Charges Against Hillary Clinton In Email Investigation
by Patrick Martin 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/06/fbi-rejects-criminal-charges-against-hillary-clinton-in-email-investigation/

FBI Director James Comey announced Tuesday that his agency will not recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server to handle government communications during her four years as secretary of state in the Obama administration


The Eel Of History: Hillary Clinton, Emailgate And The FBI
by Dr Binoy Kampmark 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/06/the-eel-of-history-hillary-clinton-emailgate-and-the-fbi/

Clinton was spared, even if the FBI recommendation remains just that.    It was a textbook outcome pointing to the failures of consistent approaches all too familiar to that of her husband. Yet again, this eel of history escapes the realms of legality with institutional dispensation

Light A Candle For Baghdad
by George Capaccio 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/06/light-a-candle-for-baghdad/

Today, with these words, I light a candle to remember the children who died in Sunday’s firestorm in Baghdad, the families who were obliterated, the individuals burned beyond recognition, the surviving friends and relatives looking for answers in the still-smoldering ruins and weeping in wave upon wave of inconsolable grief. My heart is with you, dear sisters and brothers. My hope is that others will light candles too and be moved to stand beside you and call in one invincible voice for an end to war in all its forms.

People Above Politics: Political Deal Will Not Hamper The Turkish-Palestinian Bond
by Dr Ramzy Baroud 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/06/people-above-politics-political-deal-will-not-hamper-the-turkish-palestinian-bond/

Gazans are emotionally exhausted after ten years of siege, dotted by devastating wars and the lack of any political horizon. Aside from their resistance, undying faith and legendary steadfastness, Palestinians in Gaza have looked up with much hope and anticipation to a few friends. One was Turkey

Hung Parliaments And Democracy In Australian Context
by Dr Binoy Kampmark 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/06/hung-parliaments-and-democracy-in-australian-context/

Hung parliaments are deemed the bane of the Westminster System. It makes politicians sweat, policy makers work, and the broader system of representative government unusually representative. The latter part is particularly irksome for the majoritarians

Another Side To Food Waste
by Josh Gabbatiss 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/06/another-side-to-food-waste/

The food waste debate has gone mainstream. People at every level from individual consumers to national governments are beginning to pay attention to the issues which lead to a third of food produced for human consumption being wasted every year. However, there is one side to the story that is often overlooked: the impact of food waste in the Global South

Energy Limits: Why We See Rising Wealth Disparity And Low Prices
by Gail Tverberg 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/06/energy-limits-why-we-see-rising-wealth-disparity-and-low-prices/

Prices of oil, coal, and natural gas tend to rise and fall together–just as we would expect, if they are all responding to the same changes in debt levels, and indirectly, the same changes in world economic growth rates. If energy prices are based on debt levels, our concern should be that all fossil fuels will peak within a few years of each other. The cause of the peak will be low prices, not “running out” of energy products

Exit Smriti Irani: Now HRD Ministry Should Be More Accommodative
by Dr Vivek Kumar Srivastava 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/06/exit-smriti-irani-now-hrd-ministry-should-be-more-accommodative/

As was expected PM Narendra Modi shifted HRD minister Smriti Zubin Irani to less consequential position, the textile ministry, in the recent reshuffle of the council of minister. To have a particular minister in a particular position is the well established convention and the prerogative of PM in a parliamentary democratic system, on this ground the shifting is natural but at the larger canvass when this is analyzed, then several political realities come to the fore.

Should RSS Volunteers Be Permitted To Join Government Services?
by Ram Puniyani 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/06/should-rss-volunteers-be-permitted-to-join-government-services/

An old controversy resurfaced lately. After the alleged denial of government jobs to candidates linked to the RSS, Minister of State in the PMO, Jitendra Singh, said last week that “the central government has not issued any such order (prohibiting government staff from joining RSS activities) recently”, and “if any old order exists, we will review it.” (16 June, 2016) RSS Prachar Pramukh Manmohan Vaidya had already stated that, “Banning RSS members from joining government service; is unjust and undemocratic. Such bans hardly affect RSS work and morale of swayamsevaks.” 

Dowry Deaths: India’s Shame 
Co-Written By  Leena Prasad and Vikram Srivastava

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/06/dowry-deaths-indias-shame/

What the Women and Child Development Minister Ms. Maneka Gandhi, admitted on the floor of the Lok Sabha was startling, between 2012 and 2014, around 25,000 women either committed suicide or were killed due to dowry harassment[iii]; this vindicates the claim of women’s movement in India. Taunts, mental and physical abuse and ultimate death by murder or ‘forced-to-commit-suicide’ is an open fact of the Indian society. While dowry and dowry-factsdomestic violence are reprimanded by Law, its continuance raises many questions

Blanket Surveillance Of Muslims In Japan
by Abdus Sattar Ghazali 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/06/blanket-surveillance-of-muslims-in-japan/

Japan’s Supreme Court has rejected a second appeal by the country’s Muslim community against nationwide surveillance of Muslim groups, mosques and even halal restaurants. This may not be surprising to America’s seven-million-strong Muslim community which has been under real and virtual surveillance since 9/11.