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Acta goes too far, says MEP

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

The Guardian - By Charles Arthur - Feb. 01 - Kader Arif, the lead Acta negotiator in the European Parliament, says Acta potentially cuts access to lifesaving generic drugs and restricts online freedom The French MEP who resigned his position in charge of negotiating the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (Acta) has said it "goes too far" by potentially cutting access to lifesaving generic drugs and restricting internet freedom. In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Kader Arif – a member of the European Parliament's international trade group, who was the lead negotiator over Acta – said that despite talks over the agreement having begun in 2007, "the European Parliament, which represents the rights of the people, had no access to this mandate, neither had it information of the position defended by the commission or the demands of the other parties to the agreement". Arif resigned in protest on 26 January as the EU signed the treaty, saying that he wished to "denounce in the strongest manner the process that led ...

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Nicholas D. Kristof Blog: Melinda Gates Shares Insights From Her Recent Trip to Bangladesh.

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

New York Times - By By THE EDITORS - Jan. 12 (Opinion) - Melinda Gates, just back from a trip to Bangladesh, along with Nicholas Kristof, answer readers' questions about the developing world.

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U.N. Climate Talks End With Deal for New Emissions Treaty

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

New York Times - By John M. Broder - Dec. 11 (News Report) - More than 190 nations agreed to work toward a treaty that would require all countries to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming.

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Climate Talks Consensus: All Countries Should Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions--In Future

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Scientific American - Dec. 11 - DURBAN, South Africa--For the first time, all major nations--developed and developing--have agreed to a roadmap that would combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions via an "outcome with legal force" that would not come into effect before 2020. The 194 countries negotiating here also agreed that such a universal plan must be completed by 2015 at the latest. ...

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Expanded Visa Law Would Give U.S. World’s Tired, Poor Technologists: View

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:13:00 -0800

Bloomberg - Dec. 01 - Congress works. Or so it seemed for a day this week when the House of Representatives voted 389 to 15 to ease restrictions on the entry of highly skilled immigrants to the U.S. The Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2011 was sponsored by conser

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Occupy Wall Street is "So Important Because It is in the Heart of Empire"

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Democracy Now - By Arundhati Roy - Nov. 15 (Interview) - Renowned Indian writer and global justice activist Arundhati Roy is preparing to address Occupy Wall Street on Wednesday. She recently joined us in the studio to talk about the Occupy movement. "What they are doing becomes so important because it is in the heart of empire, or what used to be empire," Roy said. "And to criticize and to protest against the model that the rest of the world is aspiring to is a very important and a very serious business. So...it makes me very, very hopeful that after a long time you're seeing some nascent political, real political anger here." She also discussed her new book, "Walking with the Comrades," a chronicle of her time in the forests of India alongside rebel guerrillas who are resisting a brutal military campaign by the Indian government. [includes rush transcript]

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China, India Protesters Are the Real ’99 Percent’: Pankaj Mishra - Businessweek

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 17:57:07 -0700

Business Week - Oct. 23 - China, India Protesters Are the Real '99 Percent': Pankaj MishraBusinessWeekIt's more than interesting that no significant gestures of solidarity came from the cities of India and China, two of the world's fastest-growing economies. On the face of it, this is not so surprising. The metropolitan Indian and Chinese peers of the ...and more »

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GM crops promote superweeds, food insecurity and pesticides, say NGOs

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By John Vidal - Oct. 19 (News Report) - Report finds genetically modified crops fail to increase yields let alone solve hunger, soil erosion and chemical-use issues Genetic engineering has failed to increase the yield of any food crop but has vastly increased the use of chemicals and the growth of "superweeds", according to a report by 20 Indian, south-east Asian, African and Latin American food and conservation groups representing millions of people. The so-called miracle crops, which were first sold in the US about 20 years ago and which are now grown in 29 countries on about 1.5bn hectares (3.7bn acres) of land, have been billed as potential solutions to food crises, climate change and soil erosion, but the assessment finds that they have not lived up to their promises. The report claims that hunger has reached "epic proportions" since the technology was developed. Besides this, only two GM "traits" have been developed on any significant scale, despite investments of tens of billions of dollars, and benefits such as drought ...

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Coal India Chairman: All Workers on Strike

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Wall Street Journal - Oct. 08 () - Coal India Ltd.'s workers have struck work Monday demanding a higher annual bonus payout, the chairman of the world's largest coal producer by volume said. The strike will result in a loss of 1.0 million metric tons ...Coal India soars in morning trade on inclusion in NiftyNDTV.comCoal India workers' union calls for strikeIndia Infoline.comGovernment to pull up Coal India for missing production targetsEconomic TimesMoneycontrol.comall 17 news articles »

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Analysis: Pakistan's double-game: treachery or strategy?

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Reuters - Sep. 28 (News Analysis) - "Turns out they are disloyal, deceptive and a danger to the United States," fumed Republican Representative Ted Poe last week. "We pay them to hate us. Now we pay them to bomb us. Let's not pay them at all." For many in America, Islamabad has been nothing short of perfidious since joining a strategic alliance with Washington 10 years ago: selectively cooperating in the war on extremist violence and taking billions of dollars in aid to do the job, while all the time sheltering and supporting Islamist militant groups that fight NATO troops in Afghanistan. Pakistan has angrily denied the charges, but if its critics are right, what could the explanation be for such duplicity? What strategic agendas might be hidden behind this puzzling statecraft?

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India’s GVK Said to Plan to Hire Banks for $1 Billion Loan

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Business Week - By Katrina Nicholas - Sep. 20 (News Report) - GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd., a builder of airports and utilities controlled by Indian billionaire GV Krishna Reddy, expects to hire banks to help organize a $1 billion loan as early as next week, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The company agreed to pay $1.26 billion earlier this month to acquire coal projects from Australia’s Hancock Prospecting Pty. and will invest at least $6.5 billion over the next eight years to develop the mines.

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United Nations: Weak leaders wanted

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - Aug. 15 (Editorial) - To save his legacy Ban Ki-moon must refresh his top team with people who understand the UN's founding principles

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India’s Iron Ore Industry Is Called Graft-Ridden

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Vikas Bajaj - Aug. 01 (News) - India’s wave of corruption scandals has hit yet another industry, iron ore mining, implicating companies that include the flagship of one of this nation’s richest men.

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Mumbai: Explosions shake India's financial hub

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

BBC News - Jul. 13 (Breaking News) - There have been at least two explosions in Mumbai (Bombay), India's financial capital, local media reported police as saying. No other details, including the cause of the explosions, was available.

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Mumbai Explosions Reportedly Hit Busy Markets

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - Jul. 13 (News) - Three explosions rocked busy locations in India's financial capital Mumbai late Wednesday, killing at least 8 people and injuring 70 in the city that was the scene of a major terrorist attack nearly three years ago. The Press Trust of India and several news channel reported that India's Home Ministry had called the explosions a terror attack.

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The space shuttle: Into the sunset

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Economist - Jul. 03 (Special Report) - If the weather holds and there are no unforeseen complications, then early in the morning on July 8th a woman and three men will ascend the launch tower at Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre, strap themselves into Atlantis, the last operational space shuttle, and, as the engines ignite, wait for the countdown to reach zero. Burning thousands of litres of rocket fuel every second and blasting superheated gas into the water-filled trench beneath the pad, the engines will kick up the vast gouts of steam and smoke that characterise a rocket launch.

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It isn't just the euro. Europe's democracy itself is at stake | Amartya Sen

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Amartya Sen - Jun. 23 (Opinion) - Greece illustrates the danger of allowing rating agencies, despite their abysmal record, to lord it over the political terrainEurope has led the world in the practice of democracy. It is therefore worrying that the dangers to democratic governance today, coming through the back door of financial priority, are not receiving the attention they should. There are profound issues to be faced about how Europe's democratic governance could be undermined by the hugely heightened role of financial institutions and rating agencies, which now lord it freely over parts of Europe's political terrain.Two distinct issues need to be separated. The first concerns the place of democratic priorities, including what Walter Bagehot and John Stuart Mill saw as the need for "governance by discussion". Suppose we accept that the powerful financial bosses have a realistic understanding of what needs to be done. This would strengthen the case for paying attention to their voices in a democratic dialogue. But that is not the same thing as allowing the international financial institutions and rating agencies the unilateral power to command democratically elected governments.Second, it is quite hard to see that the sacrifices that the financial commanders have been demanding from precarious countries would deliver the ultimate viability of these countries and guarantee the continuation of the euro within an unreformed pattern of financial amalgamation and an unchanged membership of the euro club. The diagnosis of economic problems by rating agencies is not the voice of verity that they pretend. It is worth remembering that the record of rating agencies in certifying financial and business institutions preceding the 2008 economic crisis was so abysmal that the US Congress seriously debated whether they should be prosecuted.Since much of Europe is now engaged in achieving quick reduction of public deficits through drastic reduction of public expenditure, it is crucial to scrutinise realistically what the likely impact of the chosen policies may be, both on people and the generating of public revenue through economic growth. The high morals of "sacrifice" do, of course, have an intoxicating effect. This is the philosophy of the "right" corset: "If madam is at all comfortable in it, then madam certainly needs a smaller size." However, if the demands of financial appropriateness are linked too mechanically to immediate cuts, the result could be the killing of the goose that lays the golden egg of economic growth.This concern applies to a number of countries, from Britain to Greece. The commonality of the "blood, sweat and tears" strategy of deficit reduction gives some apparent plausibility to what is being imposed on more precarious countries like Greece or Portugal. It also makes it harder to have a united political voice in Europe that can stand up to the panic generated in the financial markets.In addition to a bigger political vision, there is a need for clearer economic thinking. The tendency to ignore the importance of economic growth in generating public revenue should be a major item for scrutiny. The strong connection between growth and public revenue has been observed in many countries, from China and India to the US and Brazil.There are lessons from history here, too. The big public debts of many countries when the second world war ended caused huge anxieties, but the burden diminished rapidly thanks to fast economic growth. Similarly, the huge deficits that President Clinton faced when he came to office in 1992 melted away during his presidency, greatly aided by speedy economic growth.The fear of a threat to democracy does not, of course, apply to Britain, since these policies have been chosen by a government empowered by democratic elections. Even though the unfolding of a strategy that was not revealed at the time of election can be a reason for some pause, this is the kind of freedom that a democratic system does allow the electorally victorious. But that does not eliminate the need for more public discussion, even in Britain. There is also a need to recognise how the self-chosen restrictive policies in Britain seem to give plausibility to the even more drastic policies being imposed on Greece.How did some of the euro countries get into this mess? The oddity of going for a united currency without more political and economic integration has certainly played a part, even after taking note of financial transgressions that have undoubtedly been committed in the past by countries such as Greece or Portugal (and even after noting Mario Monti's important point that a culture of "excessive deference" in the EU has allowed these transgressions to go unchecked). It is to the huge credit of the Greek government – George Papandreou, the prime minister, in particular – that it is doing what it can despite political resistance, but the pained willingness of Athens to comply does not eliminate the European need to examine the wisdom of the requirements – and the timing – being imposed on Greece.It is no consolation for me to recollect that I was firmly opposed to the euro, despite being very strongly in favour of European unity. My worry about the euro was partly connected with each country giving up the freedom of monetary policy and of exchange rate adjustments, which have greatly helped countries in difficulty in the past, and prevented the necessity of massive destabilisation of human lives in frantic efforts to stabilise the financial markets. That monetary freedom could be given up when there is also political and fiscal integration (as the states in the US have), but the halfway house of the eurozone has been a recipe for disaster. The wonderful political idea of a united democratic Europe has been made to incorporate a precarious programme of incoherent financial amalgamation.Rearranging the eurozone now would have many problems, but difficult issues have to be intelligently discussed, rather than allowing Europe to drift in financial winds fed by narrow-minded thinking with a terrible track record. The process has to begin with some immediate restraining of the unopposed power of rating agencies to issue unilateral commands. These agencies are hard to discipline despite their abysmal record, but a well-reflected voice of legitimate governments can make a big difference to financial confidence while solutions are worked out, especially if the international financial institutions lend their support. Stopping the marginalisation of the democratic tradition of Europe has an urgency that is hard to exaggerate. European democracy is important for Europe – and for the world.GreeceEuropeUnited StatesEuroEuropean UnionEconomicsEuropean debt crisisAmartya Senguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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A brief history of hacking

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:04:00 -0700

BBC News - Jun. 09 - Sony has suffered a series of attacks by a variety of hacking groups The world is full of hackers, or so it seems. In the past few months barely a day has gone by without news of a fresh security breach. Multi-national companies have been left countin

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Top Pakistani militant Ilyas Kashmiri reported killed in US drone attack

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Christian Science Monitor - By Brad Knickerbocker - Jun. 04 (News) - Ilyas Kashmiri, a top Pakistani militant and senior Al Qaeda operative, reportedly has been killed in a US drone strike in the tribal territory of South Waziristan, according to press reports and a statement from the group he headed.

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"Every 30 Minutes": Crushed by Debt and Neo-Liberal Reforms, Indian Farmers Commit Suicide At Staggering Rate

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Smita Narula, Amy Goodman - May. 11 (Interview) - A quarter of a million Indian farmers have committed suicide in the last 16 years—an average of one suicide every 30 minutes. The crisis has ballooned with economic liberalization that has removed agricultural subsidies and opened Indian agriculture to the global market. Small farmers are often trapped in a cycle of insurmountable debt, leading many to take their lives out of sheer desperation. We speak with Smita Narula of the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at New York University Law School, co-author of a new report on farmer suicides in India.

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Dirty Money Enters Neoliberal Game

Thu, 05 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

populist.com - By N. Gunasekaran - May. 05 (News Report) - Money laundering is not new to capitalist society. But, in the era of neoliberalism, it spiraled to dizzying heights, robbing nations’ wealth. The neo-liberal structure builds up the unholy nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and corporate executives and this trio creates and enhances the parallel black economy. In Indian politics it has now become an important theme.

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India's TCS eyes buys in Germany, Japan - Reuters

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 04:34:51 -0700

Reuters - Apr. 25 - India's TCS eyes buys in Germany, JapanReutersMUMBAI, April 25 (Reuters) - India's leading software services exporter, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS.NS), is eyeing acquisitions in Germany and Japan in the healthcare sector, its chief executive said on Monday, as it looks to ...and more »

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Africa: Vast Majority of Stillbirths Found in Developing Countries

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:43:00 -0700

AllAfrica - Apr. 15 - United Nations — According to a special series in the medical journal The Lancet presented in New York Wednesday at the U.N. children's agency UNICEF, over 2.6 million stillbirths occur worldwide annually, affecting mostly African and Asian women who lac

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Why India's girls are in decline | Kalpana Sharma

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Guardian - By Kalpana Sharma - Apr. 10 (Opinion) - Why India's girls are in declineThe GuardianIndia's economic growth rate is increasing. But its population of girls in relation to boys is declining. In that contradiction lies a truth that many in India choose to ignore: that economic growth does not automatically mean gender justice. ...Rate of aborted female fetuses increasesSouth Asia Mailall 2 news articles »

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Superbug Gene Found In New Delhi Water

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Maria Cheng - Apr. 07 (News Report) - LONDON — A gene that can turn many types of bacteria into deadly superbugs was found in about a quarter of water samples taken from drinking supplies and puddles on the streets of New Delhi, according to a new study.

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