First posted June 28, 2013 NB: Carl von Ossietzky was the first of only two Nobel Peace Prize winners (1935) who was prevented by their government from receiving the prize. The second was Liu Xiaobo. The Chinese Communist Party thereby followed the example of the Nazi regime. What is even more noteworthy is that when… Read More The Nobel Peace Prize For Espionage. Remembering Carl von Ossietzky
Iranian security forces have shot dead at least two protesters, as demonstrations sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death swelled on the anniversary of a bloody 2019 crackdown. The protesters were responding to a call to commemorate those slain in the 2019 crackdown, giving new momentum to the demonstrations sparked by the death of 22-year-old Amini in mid-September this… Read More Iranian security forces shoot and kill demonstrators, as mass protests by workers, students and young people continue
NB: This fearless intellectual, who defied the mighty Chinese Communist Party even as he fought for the freedom of the human mind, died in hospital on July 13, 2017, denied the right even to proper treatment. Beneath the image is an extract from Simon Ley’s review of Liu Xiaobo’s book, No Enemies, No Hatred. It… Read More The Legacy of Liu Xiaobo
Bharat Bhushan Last week, a 20-year-old man from Kapkot in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district consumed poison after failing the Agniveer entrance test. In the video recorded before his suicide, Kamlesh Goswami explained the reasons for his drastic decision. Despite an NCC certificate, scoring 100 per cent in physical fitness and passing the medical exam, he was… Read More Growing unemployment: Battle of two parallel realities
Aditya Chakrabortty What kind of government is this? You can almost see the puzzlement on pundits’ faces as they try to work it out. Is it the technocratic dictatorship of Jeremy Hunt, or the banal nastiness of pound-shop mafioso Gavin Williamson? Is it Rishi Sunak bro-hugging Emmanuel Macron, or Suella Braverman banging up “invaders”? Is… Read More Discipline the poor, protect the rich: same old Tories, same old class war
The Bharat Jodo Yatra, or the United India March, launched by the Indian National Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, is getting a tremendous response. It is as if the people were waiting for such an event to reaffirm their trust and faith in the composite Indian nationalism. Indian nationalism has been undermined during… Read More Rahul Gandhi’s Uniting India March: Ignored by media but welcomed by social groups
NB: Apes of Satan speak as representatives of God. The Ayatollahs’ regime is brutal and shameless. Global protests are needed to save the life of this young man and thousands like him. DS According to the UN, an estimated 14,000 people, including children, have been detained by the regime since the protests began more than… Read More Rapper who protested over death of Mahsa Amini faces execution in Iran
NB: This government misuses the law to keep people in detention indefinitely, delaying the trial so that the guilt or innocence of the accused can never be decided. This is what happened to Fr Stan Swamy, an 84 year old priest who suffered from deafness and Parkinson’s disease, and who died in custody in July… Read More Corrupt are destroying country: SC alludes to Telangana incident while hearing Navlakha’s plea for house arrest
Polly Toynbee NB: The planet needs no saving, Ms Polly, it’s not in danger. Its the environment that we need to save, from ourselves. DS Just Stop Oil protesters this week are climbing gantries on the M25, blocking the Dartford tunnel, causing long delays and getting arrested in droves. Meanwhile the public order bill that would crack down… Read More To those who sneer at activists blocking roads: what are you doing to save the planet?
First posted August 04, 2015 Sheldon Wolin is one of the most highly respected political thinkers in Western academia. He is emeritus professor at Princeton, now aged 93. Wolin was a bomber pilot in the Pacific region with the USAF during the Second World War. He is known for coining the term inverted totalitarianism. His most… Read More Can Capitalism and Democracy Coexist? Chris Hedges interviews political philosopher Sheldon Wolin
