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Bridge the Gap , Bring the Change
31 May 2012 2 Comments
in Advocacy, Announcements, Health Care, Human Rights, Justice, Kractivism, Law, Minority Rights, Poetry, Political Prisoners, Violence against Women, Women Rights Tags: Bangalore, Government of India, Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Neuro Sciences, NIMHANS, Nirvana, S. P. Udayakumar, Tamil Nadu
31 May 2012 1 Comment
in Advocacy, Announcements, Health Care, Human Rights, Justice, Kractivism, Law Tags: Asbestos, Canada, Environment, European Commission, Hazardous Materials, Holocaust, India, Mesothelioma
The most vulnerable are those working in factories handling asbestos, but it also affects people using asbestos in their homes as a cheap substitute for roofing materials. In most cases this is a common demographic. The poor need asbestos and the poor work with asbestos. The poor are also silent sufferers.
The deadly nature of asbestos is common knowledge in the developed world. Several nations have completely banned the use of the material, most notably of the EU, Japan and Australia. In the late 90s, the European Commission and Canada even had a standoff at the WTO regarding France’s ban on asbestos products.
Weirdly, Canada is another country where the use of asbestos is banned. The Canadian government has spent vast amounts of money to remove the material from its environment. Yet, in the international trade of asbestos, the hypocrisy of the Canadian government is absolutely criminal. Canada is one of the world’s larger exporters of this deadly material and its clientele consists mostly of developing nations like India. It would seem that, to the Canadian government, consideration for human life is limited only to its own people, and international responsibility is but a farcical concept.
Yet, why blame a foreign government that is looking out for its businesses when our government is shockingly apathetic to the welfare of its own people? One of the excuses, used by Canada, to justify asbestos export is that it is legal in India. One, then, wonders why a material, which is so comprehensively vilified in international markets, is still allowed to flourish in such alarming quantities and with so little regulation, in a country where income differences and an uncontrollable population, increases the associated risks manifold.
Very few people in India are aware of the dangers stemming from asbestos use. Asbestos regulation is, at best, pretence. Factories are under-regulated and health and safety norms are hardly implemented, regularly flouted or at times even non-existent. Stories have emerged of abandoned open mines seriously affecting the population of surrounding villages. Rural doctors are so ill-informed about the effects of asbestos that villagers are very often misdiagnosed. Even in cities, factory workers and families have alarming experiences of deteriorating health conditions and death.
Why is the government not doing anything? Has it now come to the point where even a full blown catastrophe cannot motivate it to take action? Is this again a case of government incompetence that we Indians are so used to, or is there a more sinister reason behind the silence and ignorance? Mining lobbies and the mining mafia come to mind. Given the recent incidents concerning the mining mafia in the country, it is not a big leap of imagination, to think there is big money being made at the expense of the expendable poor.
The proliferation of asbestos use is not just an environmental hazard. It is also nothing short of a human rights violation. To knowingly allow the use of a material, that regularly kills millions, is criminal negligence. To allow our country to be used as a dumping ground for such materials, by other nations, is shameful. But most importantly, to watch our people die of a preventable cause and do nothing about it is a heinous crime worthy of comparisons to the Holocaust.
30 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Advocacy, Announcements, Human Rights, Justice, Kractivism, Law, Minority Rights, Political Prisoners, Prison Tags: European Arrest Warrant, European Court of Human Rights, Julian Assange, London, Supreme Court, Sweden, United States, WikiLeaks
Assange — who shot to international fame when his anti-secrecy Web site spilled official state secrets in the form of Afghanistan and Iraq military reports and a mammoth cache of diplomatic cables — did not appear in court on Wednesday. His lawyers told reporters he was stuck in traffic.
Swedish authorities want to question Assange — no charges have been laid — about separate encounters he had with two WikiLeaks volunteers. The volunteers say they had consensual sex with Assange, but at some stage, it became non-consensual. One of the women, described in the courts here as “Miss B,” accused Assange of having unwanted sex with her while she was asleep.
Although Assange insists the sex was consensual, his case before the Supreme Court hinged on a single technicality: Was the Swedish prosecutor who issued the European arrest warrant that led to his arrest in December 2010 a valid judicial authority?
Only a “competent judicial authority” can issue a European arrest warrant, a system ushered in to speed up extradition between European nations.
In a 161-page judgment, the Supreme Court haggles over what, exactly, is meant by the words “judicial authority,” ultimately rejecting Assange’s arguments that a public prosecutor cannot fall into the category.
Although the Supreme Court is Britain’s highest appellate court for civil cases, Assange has not yet exhausted all of his legal options.
Assange can still appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, which would decide within two weeks whether or not to take the case. If that court declined to take the case, Assange would be extradited to Sweden “as soon as arrangements can be made,” according to a statement by the Crown Prosecution Service. If the European court accepts the case, analysts say, the long-running legal battle could drag on for more weeks or months.
In February 2011, a lower court in Britain granted Sweden’s extradition request. Assange appealed the ruling and lost, but he won permission to appeal to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case before seven judges — two more than normal — because, the court said, of the “great public importance of the issue raised, which is whether a prosecutor is a judicial authority.”
Assange’s attorneys have argued that the allegations lodged against him are politically motivated and said they fear Swedish authorities might hand him over to the United States to face charges under the Espionage Act for leaking State Department diplomatic cables.
Over the next two weeks, Assange will remain in Britain under his current bail terms, which include wearing an electronic tag around his ankle and checking in daily with local police.
Such is the worldwide interest in the case that the Supreme Court issued a statement last week encouraging visitors who were not attending the Assange judgment to “choose another day to visit the building.”
30 May 2012 4 Comments
in Advocacy, Censorship, Health Care, Human Rights, Justice, Kractivism, Law Tags: Anonymous, Facebook, Filesharing, India, Internet service provider, Mamata Banerjee, New Delhi, Twitter
New Delhi: Internet activist group Anonymous, which has been attacking Indian websites, has further planned such attacks from 9 June to protest censorship of content in the country. It has also demanded the unblocking of file-sharing websites in India. The government says it’s prepared to deal with the online attacks and protests, besides seeking to arrest the members of the self-proclaimed collective. In a group interview, some members of Anonymous India spoke about the protest and how they work. The interview took place over web chat and involved multiple members of the group, all of whom maintained their anonymity. The collective is planning physical, non-violent protests across Indian cities on 9 June.
Edited excerpts:
What are your plans for 9 June?
Be a physical, visible presence. Make it clear that we oppose this censorship and we want our Internet back.
You are informing people through Facebook pages about the protests, but are also asking them to take police permission? Who will take the lead?
The administrators of respective FB (Facebook) groups, many of them are working on that already. People volunteer. Anonymous does not mean you are doing illegal stuff….We have lots of support from people in the IT (information technology) industry and students. A few offered to get (permission).
File-sharing websites have been blocked in India in the past as well. What was the trigger for your attack this time?
Blocking of many sites at the beginning of this month. Censorship was the trigger, but more than that, arbitrary, unjust measures. To block access to millions, because there could be illegal content is not acceptable. Also, people should have the right to decide what is moral to them and what is immoral.
Are more attacks on websites in the offing?
Yes. Defacing and leaks are also in progress.
The order to block file-sharing sites was made by a court at the request of private companies. So why are you targeting government websites?
The government has created laws and support for censorship that are getting used. Who will monitor? Whose responsibility is it to protect rights of people? Why create methods of censorship you can’t control? Today, we have the IT rules, where intermediaries have to take down content based on notifications. How can this be monitored? Who knows what gets taken down to avoid hassles? It is the government’s responsibility to make wise laws.
How do you operate? How do you choose which issues to take up?
By voting. Usually someone brings up an idea, creates the channel, gives information and invites and advertises. For example, Mamata Banerjee imprisoned cartoonists: vote goes up (for a situation like this), and accordingly, we take action.
How do you recruit members to your group?
It is not a group. It is an idea. If you think like us, you already are part of us.
Since everybody’s identity is anonymous, how do you sift between fake and genuine?
If you are fake, you will be exposed. We don’t monitor. We just communicate, on Twitter or just through this IRC (Internet relay chat) network.
How do members manage time for such coordinated attacks, considering all of you have day jobs?
Yes, some of us have jobs. We come online whenever we can. No more personal questions.
The government is trying to track members of Anonymous and claims to be close.
Good luck. They have been (doing so) from the start. There are too many of us. They will not be able to get us all. The ones who are captured are the ones who make mistakes.
Are you saying it won’t matter if they get through to some of you?
We never know the identity of another, so even if one gets caught, all they get are usernames. No, it won’t matter.
So you guys are not scared of police action?
We are. As all are protesters. Some things are bigger than fears. But we have removed the idea of what would happen if we get caught.
Do you think this idea that drives you is bigger than the trouble that could follow?
Yes. It’s always been that way and always will be. It is worth it. Freedom is important, for us, and for the generations to come after us.
What is that one big idea that drives all of you?
Freedom—it’s the biggest idea.
Are attacks such as Operation India coordinated by the central unit of Anonymous?
No, all are decentralized. There is no centre, no head.
So you are independent?
Yes, but the target will be discussed usually, so a democratic system is in place. There is consensus, people who find it important walk together, each knowing the risk and owning it.
What if the websites are not unblocked even after the 9 June protests?
We fight again and again. It’s just phase one of the fight.
Will you attack more websites?
I’m sure many more websites will be attacked. We will keep hitting, with our canons loaded fully. Lots more data will be leaked.
The government says that you tried attacking many sites but were not successful. True?
Some have succeeded, some have not.
How does it all begin, suppose there is a country that still doesn’t have an Anonymous representative?
Simple—you start one.
Who appoints the first member? Do you need permission from the centre?
No one appoints. There is no centre, we do not need permission, we can do whatever we like. Except for a few rules, we can do anything. Anonymous is like an idea. It spreads, it goes from one person to others!
Do you guys need any funding for what you do?
No. We do not spend any money for what we do.
How would you rate the success of your India operation so far?
So far, so good. The problem remains. The results are good, but this is the journey. Too early to evaluate. Well, we need more people to wake up and understand what is happening around them. We shall continue and try to get maximum support, and try to spread the idea of Anonymous.
Will some of you be there at the protest physically?
Maybe, maybe not. We are an idea, so we will be there. But I’m sure some will be (physically there), but if everyone has masks, they will all look the same.
surabhi.a@livemint.com
Anonymous is coming to your city. Are you ready? Join Us.
“We are Anonymous cos none of us is as cruel as all of us.” Join the facebook events to know more about what is going in and around your city. Meet the fellow folks who are going to protest on 9th June against Internet Censorship.
Occupy Mumbai – Gateway of India, Mumbai.
Occupy Delhi – India Gate
Occupy Chandigarh – The Plaza, Sector 17, Chandigarh.
Occupy UP – *tentative*
Occupy Indore – Regal Square.
Occupy Kolkata – South City Mall.
Occupy Hyderabad – Hitech City.
Occupy Bangalore – M.G. Road.
Occupy Cochin – Marine Drive.
Occupy Calicut – Calicut Beach Opposite To Beach Hotel
Occupy Nagpur – *tentative*
Occupy Pune – Shivaji Nagar.
Occupy Chennai – *tentative*
If you want to help/support our cause and protest in your city let us know we’ll help you co-ordinate the protest.
IMPORTANT DIRECTIVES FOR THE PROTEST – #OpIndia June 9, 2012
http://pastehtml.com/view/bzi0nxrkz.html
People of India, it is high time you all realized that you need to take the action if your country needs to be saved. So here is your chance. On June 9th we are conducting nation wide protest at multiple cities in India. Join us.
01. The protest is a Non-Violent one.02. Protesters may not use vehicles to protest as this may cause accidents, please keep vehicles out of the protest crowd.03. One shall not keep any harmful items like weapons, stones etc with oneself.04. Those who can wear the Guy Fawkes Mask. Printable version is available on the web.05. Please bring placards, banners etc that you can prepare so for the cause.06. For whom it is possible bring cameras and record events. Use your smart phone to stream it online using ustream. This will give us proof if something bad is attempted at the protest.07. IF POLICE BLOCKS THE WAY, STAY 50Mts MIN AWAY. DO NOT CONFRONT THEM.08. Fire or burning at all of any figures or material is to NOT be done.09. Please hand over anyone who causes violence to the police.10. Protest well. Our future may depend on it.
Useful Links:
Press Release [28-05-2012] – http://pastehtml.com/view/bzkss5f77.rtxt
Anonymous Mask – http://opindia.posterous.com/become-anonymous
Make your own Anonymous Mask – http://opindia.posterous.com/pages/diy-anonymous-mask
Anonymous on Twitter – @opindia_back (Official Account)
30 May 2012 3 Comments
in Advocacy, Announcements, Disability, Health Care, Human Rights, Justice, Kractivism, Law, Minority Rights Tags: Agent Orange, Defense Production Act, discrimination, Human Rights, Monsanto, Rainbow Herbicides, United States, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Vietnam, Vietnam War, Women Rights
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
By By Investigative Journalist ~ Theodora Filiss
The US celebrated Memorial Day on Monday, May 28. Originally called Decoration Day, it is a day of remembrance for those who have died in their nation’s service.
“If we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future.” Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965)
What about the men and women who survived? The Vietnam Veterans who share in the pain and suffering caused by the shameful neglect and harassment by the same people whose lives they fought to protect? One of the most disturbing and damaging legacies of the Vietnam war is Agent Orange. Nearly 40 years later, questions remain.
The US military used Agent Orange from 1961 to 1971 to defoliate dense vegetation in the Vietnamese jungles to reduce the chances of an ambush. Seven major chemical companies were contracted under the Defense Production Act to obtain Agent Orange and other herbicides for use by US and allied troops in Vietnam.
Agent Orange was by far the most widely used of the so-called “Rainbow Herbicides” employed in the Herbicidal Warfare program of the Vietnam War. Dow Chemical and Monsanto were the two largest producers of Agent Orange for the US military. According to Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects.
Today Monsanto’s website boasts: “Monsanto is a relatively new company. While we share the name and history of a company that was founded in 1901, the Monsanto of today is focused on agriculture and supporting farmers around the world in their mission to produce more while conserving more. We’re an agricultural company.”
In the past two decades, Monsanto’s “agricultural” GMO monopoly has grown so powerful that they control the genetics of nearly 90% of five major commodity crops including corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and sugar beets. Monsanto is now primarily a seed and agricultural products company.
Monsanto is responsible for more than 50 United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund sites – attempts to clean up Monsanto Chemical’s formerly uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.
Monsanto’s legacy includes, not only the production of Agent Orange, but DDT, PCBs, and Dioxin. Now massive aerial spraying of Roundup in Colombia is being used by the US and the Colombian government as a counter-insurgency tactic, contaminating food crops and poisoning villagers.
30 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Advocacy, Announcements, Human Rights, Justice, Kractivism, Press Release Tags: Business, Delhi, Gasoline, Gasoline and diesel usage and pricing, Liquefied petroleum gas, Petrol Price, Pune, Warje
Invitation
Seminar: The Magic Tricks of Petrol Price Hike
The government has raised the price of petrol once again, this time by a whopping Rs. 7.50 per litre. This is the sixteenth time petrol prices have been raised in the past 16 years. The government is claiming that the prices have been raised due to rise in International Crude Oil Prices, and the price increase was necessary as otherwise the domestic oil companies would go bankrupt.
How true are all these claims? What is the real reason behind the Petrol Price Hike? To discuss these questions in detail, Lokayat is organising a Seminar on the issue:
Seminar: THE MAGIC TRICKS OF PETROL PRICE HIKE
Speakers: Dr. Sulabha Brahme
Neeraj Jain
Date: Saturday, June 2, 2012
Time: 6 to 8 pm
Venue: Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal Hall, Sadashiv Peth, Near Bharat Natya Mandir, Pune.
Do join us.
In solidarity,
Alka Joshi
94223 19129
—
Neeraj Jain, Lokayat
Flat No. 20, Building No. A-3,
Ishanya Nagari, Warje,
Pune – 411 058
Ph. Mobile 094222 20311
Landline: 020-25231251
30 May 2012 2 Comments
in Advocacy, Announcements, Health Care, Human Rights, Justice, Kractivism, Law, Minority Rights Tags: Chhattisgarh, Communist Party of India, development, Human Rights, India, Jairam Ramesh, Malkangiri, Maoism, Maoist, Naxalite, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Ramesh, Sukma
English: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the ITC Green Centre in Gurgaon, outside of New Delhi. The ITC Green Centre is the world’s largest “Platinum Rated” green office building. Department photo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
May 29, ibnlive.com
BHUBANESWAR/MALKANGIRI: As a part of the Centre’s initiative to contain the spread of Maoism by taking up developmental projects in the affected areas, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday visited Malkangiri district ahead of launching the Special Area Development Plan (SADP) project by the ministry in the region.
Ramesh, who reviewed implementation of different developmental projects in Malkangiri district, will also visit Sukma in Chhattisgarh. The SADP will be launched in Malkangiri-Sukma region with at an estimated cost of `300 crore.
Security had been tightened in the entire district as Ramesh stayed overnight in Malkangiri. He will leave for Sukma on Tuesday morning. His proposed visit to Janbai in the cut off area was cancelled due to security reasons following an exchange of fire between the security forces and Maoists in Kalimela area. The Maoists triggered a landmine blast injuring three Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel.
Malkangiri was in the news last year when Maoists kidnapped the then collector R Vineel Krishna. Krishna, who is now the Private Secretary of the Minister, is accompanying Ramesh. Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon was also abducted by the Maoists this year.
Ramesh met elected panchayat representatives, SHGs and beneficiaries of different welfare programmes during his visit to the district and harped on the dignity of tribals. Many tribals are languishing in different jails in Odisha for no fault of theirs and they should be released immediately, he said. The Minister expressed dissatisfaction over the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) as only 35 per cent of the funds for the district has been spent.
He was critical of the delay in completion of Gurupriya bridge over the Janbai river. Left wing extremism (LWE) can be tackled effectively if all the political parties work unitedly, he said. He exhorted the youths to join politics. Nine out of every 100 girls are joining the outlawed CPI(Maoist) due to the failure of the political system, Ramesh reasoned.
30 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Advocacy, Announcements, Human Rights, Justice, Kractivism, Law, Press Release Tags: Asia, Bombay, Citizenship, Dadar, discrimination, Forum Against Oppression of Women, Government of India, Human Rights, India, Labour movement, Mumbai, People, Police state, Protest, Rome, violence, Violence and Abuse, Women, Women Rights
Dear Friends,
29 May 2012 3 Comments
in Advocacy, Announcements, Human Rights, Justice, Kractivism, Law, Minority Rights Tags: Bharatiya Janata Party, Denial-of-service attack, ethical hacking, Guy Fawkes, Human Rights, India, Internet service provider, Johnribeiro, online activism, Reliance Communication, Reserve Bank of India
Added 29th May 2012
The Indian arm of Anonymous is planning what it describes as non-violent protests against Internet censorship in various Indian cities, after some Internet service providers blocked file-sharing sites in the country.
The protests, planned for June 9, follow a court order in March directed at ISPs, meant to prevent a newly released local movie from being offered in a pirated version online. Some ISPs went ahead and blocked some file-sharing sites altogether, rather than the offending URLs.
One such ISP, Reliance Communications, found its service was tinkered with last week, redirecting its users from sites like Facebook and Twitter to a protest page, according to reports from users. The hackers also claimed to have attacked the website and servers of Reliance, and claimed to have got access to a large list of URLs blocked by the company.
Reliance Communications said on Monday it had thoroughly investigated the matter and all its servers and websites are intact. “We have required preventive measures and strongest possible IT security layers in place to tackle any unwarranted intrusions,” the company said in a statement. “Despite repeated attempts by hackers, our servers could not be hacked.”
The hackers also claimed to have attacked websites of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the main opposition party in the country, after having previously launched DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks on various websites including that of the Indian central bank, Reserve Bank of India.
Anonymous was active in India last year, when it attacked the website of the Indian army. It quickly reversed its decision to attack the site and kept a low profile after drawing protests from some of its own members.
Anonymous is asking supporters to download and print cut-outs of the Guy Fawkes mask, used by the hacker group as a logo, to be worn during the anti-censorship street protests.
The group’s protests are also directed at India’s Information Technology Act, which among other things allows the government to block websites under certain conditions, and also allows the removal of online content by notice to ISPs. The government is in the process of framing rules that will put curbs on freedom on social media, Anonymous said in a recent video, presumably a reference to demands by the government that Internet companies should have a mechanism in place to filter objectionable content, including content that mocks religious figures.
India’s Computer Emergency Response Team observed last week that hacker groups are launching DDoS attacks on government and private websites. These attacks may be targeted at different websites of reputed organizations, the agency said in an advisory. The attacks are being launched using popular DDoS tools and can consume bandwidth requiring appropriate proactive action in coordination with service providers, it added.
John Ribeiro covers outsourcing and general technology breaking news from India for The IDG News Service. John’s e-mail address isjohn_ribeiro@idg.com