CounterCurrents: Bad news from India

Dear Friend,

Bad news from India.  The right wing Hindutva forces won a crucial election by a huge margin in the largest state of India, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and allegations of Electronic Voting Machine rigging. Both news don't augur well for democracy in India. It is indeed worrying times. Vidya Bhushan Rawat who has intimate knowledge about the situation in UP gives a brilliant analysis of the UP Election results and shows the way ahead for secualar forces. 

UN officials warn of worst famine crisis since World War II in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and Nigeria.

At least six U.S. states are challenging President Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban 2.0 executive order that bars new visas for people from six Muslim countries and temporarily shuts down the U.S. refugee program.

There is a great article by Chris Hedges which analyses the situation we are in. He writes "civilizations in decline, despite the palpable signs of decay around them, remain fixated on restoring their “greatness.” Their illusions condemn them. They cannot see that the forces that gave rise to modern civilization, namely technology, industrial violence and fossil fuels, are the same forces that are extinguishing it. Their leaders are trained only to serve the system, slavishly worshipping the old gods long after these gods begin to demand millions of sacrificial victims."

Also check out many other articles on a variety of important topics. 

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In Solidarity

Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org





UN Officials Warn Of Worst Famine Crisis Since World War II
by Patrick Martin 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/un-officials-warn-of-worst-famine-crisis-since-world-war-ii/

More than 20 million people face imminent starvation in four countries, United Nations officials warned over the weekend, the largest humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II. All four countries—Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, and Nigeria—are wracked by civil wars in which the US government is implicated in funding and arming one of the contending sides.




The Dance of Death
by Chris Hedges 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/the-dance-of-death/

Civilizations in decline, despite the palpable signs of decay around them, remain fixated on restoring their “greatness.” Their illusions condemn them. They cannot see that the forces that gave rise to modern civilization, namely technology, industrial violence and fossil fuels, are the same forces that are extinguishing it. Their leaders are trained only to serve the system, slavishly worshipping the old gods long after these gods begin to demand millions of sacrificial victims.





Who Really Lost In UP: Understanding ‘Divide And Rule’ ‘Democracy’
by Vidya Bhushan Rawat 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/who-really-lost-in-up-understanding-divide-and-rule-democracy/

Uttar Pradesh election results are depressing but it has given us opportunity to build ourselves from the ground, introspect and face the challenge. Question is not that India has suddenly become casteist but how the ‘secular’ parties actually provided enough ammunition to the Hindutva’s communal forces to misuse or misinterpret their failures. It is time for aggressive secularism with anti-caste system agenda and promoting the liberal ideas, making space among the opinion making classes and build up our leadership from the grassroots. There is no time for narrow, parochial ideas which thrive on weakness of others but the programme and agenda for future which can attract diverse communities. Remember, people are not ready to listen to same chanting they have been hearing for years as they are demanding agenda for future.





Paradox of a Democracy: Choosing Oppression Through Elections
by T Navin 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/paradox-of-a-democracy-choosing-oppression-through-elections/

Democracy is about being free from structures of oppression. However, the recent elections results only seem have turned out verdict in favor of choosing oppression. The election results go on to show the limitations of Indian democracy.





Six U.S. States Challenge Trump’s Muslim Ban 2.0
by Abdus Sattar Ghazali

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/six-u-s-states-challenge-trumps-muslim-ban-2-0/

At least six U.S. states are challenging President Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban 2.0 executive order that bars new visas for people from six Muslim countries and temporarily shuts down the U.S. refugee program.





The Pig Industry And The Usage Of Antibiotics In Denmark
by Holger Oster Mortensen  

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/the-pig-industry-and-the-usage-of-antibiotics-in-denmark/

In Denmark we have a very large production of pork. The small country with 5 million people, raise about 25 million pigs every year. No other country has as many pigs per capita in the world, and Denmark has the most intensive concentration of pigs in the world. Also 60 percent of our land is farmed. Another world record! Danish farmers use 120 tons antibiotics every year – 90 ton in the pig industry alone. In Danish hospitals and healthcare we use only 55 tons!





Enemy of Reason: Behind the Mask of Pro-GMO Neoliberal Ideology
by Colin Todhunter 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/enemy-of-reason-behind-the-mask-of-pro-gmo-neoliberal-ideology/

Professor Shanthu Shantharam recently wrote a response to Viva Kermani’s well thought out article about injecting some honesty into the debate about genetically modified (GM) food and crops. Both pieces appeared the Indian publication Swarajya. Shantharam’s response is typical of what we have come to expect from him: a mixture of abuse, personal attacks and gross misrepresentation of both issues and facts.





Poaching In Europe’s Suburbs
by Dr Binoy Kampmark 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/poaching-in-europes-suburbs/

It was a matter of time. The war of poachers against those attempting to conserve species, and the animals themselves, took a gruesome turn this week.    At the Parc Zoologique de Thoiry outside Paris, a white southern white rhinoceros named Vince was shot three times, with one horn sawn by attackers keen to bring the predations of the ivory market to Europe. (The second horn was only partially sawn.) The gruesome and bloody scene is worth noting on several levels. 





Malaysia And The Question Of North Korea
by Dr Chandra Muzaffar

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/malaysia-and-the-question-of-north-korea/

The Malaysian government has done the right thing in keeping the channels of communication with the North Korean Government open. It wants an amicable resolution of the friction arising from the murder of Kim Jong-Nam, the elder brother of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un, at KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) 2 on the 13th of February 2017. Prime Minister Najib Razak has made it very clear that Malaysia has no intention of severing diplomatic ties with North Korea.





Russia, Ukraine, And The ICJ: Opening Arguments At The Hague
by Dr Binoy Kampmark  

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/russia-ukraine-and-the-icj-opening-arguments-at-the-hague/

The reaction from certain news outlets at the display of British counsel was one of disbelief.    “An extraordinary thing happened in The Hague this week,” sparkled a disbelieving Steve Cannane for the ABC.  Russia’s lawyer, it was said, had “gone off script” in not issuing a standard denial about any role in the downing of MH17.






Surveillance: MSM’s Dismay With The Tool Of Coercion
by Farooque Chowdhury 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/surveillance-msms-dismay-with-the-tool-of-coercion/

The “all”-correct mainstream media has recently “discovered” a very, very hard fact: journalists are kept under surveillance. Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND), the country’s foreign intelligence agency, spied upon scores of foreign journalists, said media reports from Germany. The business went for almost two decades.





Prof. G.N. Saibaba – Victim Of Everything !
by P Victor Vijay Kumar 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/prof-g-n-saibaba-victim-of-everything/

A Maharashtra court  convicted wheel-chair bound Delhi University professor GN Saibaba and five others under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for 'waging war' against India and for their alleged Maoist links, and sentenced all but one to life imprisonment. GN Saibaba, JNU student Hem Keshavdatta Mishra, journalist activist Prashant Rahi, tribal farmers from Gadchiroli district Mahesh Kariman Tirki and Pandu Pora Narote, and a tribal labourer from Kanker district in Chhattisgarh Vijay Nan Tirki have been prosecuted for the offence punishable under Sections 13, 18, 20, 38, 39 of The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, with Section 120­B of the Indian Penal Code. While five have been given life imprisonment, Vijay Nan Tirki has got 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.






Deendayal in Government Schools: Neglecting Education, Indoctrinating Exclusion
by Subhash Gatade 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/deendayal-in-government-schools-neglecting-education-indoctrinating-exclusion/

Rajaram (name changed) Principal of a school near Jaipur, Rajasthan is a worried man. An honest teacher all his life, is not able to comprehend the rationale behind the recent order by the state education ministry asking every secondary and senior secondary school to purchase collected works of Deendayal Upadhyaya.





‘Bearing Witness: Sexual Violence in South Chhattisgarh’ – Book by WSS Released

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/03/13/bearing-witness-sexual-violence-in-south-chhattisgarh-book-by-wss-released/

Bastar Solidarity Network, Mumbai organised the book release of “ Bearing Witness : Sexual Violence in South Chhatisgarh” on 10th Mach 2017. The book has been brought out by Women against Sexual violence and State repression ( WSS ).