‘They used our hijabs to gag us’: Iran protesters tell of rapes, beatings and torture by police

More than four months after the death of Mahsa Amini, the Kurdish woman who died in custody after being arrested for incorrectly wearing her hijab, the Iranian authorities’ attempts to crush nationwide protests have seen more than 500 people killed by security forces, including 70 children. Four protesters have so far been executed by the state, with… Read More ‘They used our hijabs to gag us’: Iran protesters tell of rapes, beatings and torture by police

Opposition raises pitch on Adani issue; Congress to launch nationwide protests on Monday

Opposition parties on Sunday stepped up their attack on the Modi government over the Adani issue, with the Congress alleging that its “silence smacks of collusion”. Ahead of the party’s planned nationwide protests on Monday, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said they will pose three questions a day to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over… Read More Opposition raises pitch on Adani issue; Congress to launch nationwide protests on Monday

Anti-strike bill: a step toward forced labour in the UK?

Aidan McQuade Theresa May, both as home secretary and prime minister, pushed for the UK to become a global leader in the international struggle against contemporary forms of slavery. Her vision was always a blurred one, in which she somehow reconciled championing the 2015 Modern Slavery Act alongside prosecuting victims of human trafficking for the… Read More Anti-strike bill: a step toward forced labour in the UK?

France: towards a social explosion of historic proportions!

by Yorgos Mitralias The international media may say hardly a word, but that does not mean that these days France is not being shaken by the biggest social eruption of the last several decades! In particular, on Tuesday January 31st the demonstrations against Macron’s pension reform were the most massive in the country for 30 years (a total of… Read More France: towards a social explosion of historic proportions!

Hong Kong 47: trial of dozens in pro-democracy movement set to begin under national security laws

Group of legislators, activists and community workers are accused of holding unofficial pre-election primaries that authorities say constitutes subversion One of the most significant national security trials in the Chinese government’s crackdown on Hong Kong will begin on Monday, two years after many of the city’s most prominent government critics were first brought into custody. The case… Read More Hong Kong 47: trial of dozens in pro-democracy movement set to begin under national security laws

PIL against Vice President, Law minister, for ‘no faith’ in Constitution

By Vidya  The Bombay Lawyers Association approached the Bomby High Court with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar and Union Law minister Kiren Rijiju saying they should be discharged from their duties because they have shown a “lack of faith” in the Constitution. The lawyer group said the VP and Kiren… Read More PIL against Vice President, Law minister, for ‘no faith’ in Constitution

Censorship, arrests, power cuts. India scrambles to block BBC documentary

By Gerry Shih, Karishma Mehrotra. and. Anant Gupta Published in: The Washington PostDate: January 25, 2023 All told, the remarkable steps taken by the government seemed to reinforce a central point of the BBC series: that the world’s largest democracy was sliding into authoritarianism under Modi, who rose to national power in 2014 and won reelection in 2019 on a Hindu nationalist… Read More Censorship, arrests, power cuts. India scrambles to block BBC documentary

Weavers of Banaras are forced to work for less than the minimum wage

Harsh Thakor With the goal of raising class consciousness and mobilizing the working population of Banaras, especially the weavers, a meeting was organized at the Swayamvar Vatika on behalf of the Fatima-Savitri Janasamiti. The weavers themselves openly discussed the issues related to their status and wages in the programme. Mohammad Ahmad Ansari, who toils with… Read More Weavers of Banaras are forced to work for less than the minimum wage