Palash Speaks

WE are the ones who will pay...we will reap the whirlwind
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: alashchandrabiswas@gmail.com">palashchandrabiswas@gmail.com
Go on LOOK what your country has done

Look what this ANIMAL in the White House has done

Look what they did so corporations could make ENORMOUS profits

WE are the ones who will pay...we will reap the whirlwind

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Cal
Date: Dec 14, 2007 10:26 PM
http://www.democrac yrising.us/ gallery/displayi mage.php? album=3&pos=0
http://en.rian. ru/russia/ 20071212/ 92020350. html
*Russia begins construction of fifth-generation fighter*
MOSCOW, December 12 (RIA Novosti) - *Russia*'s defense industry has started
the construction of a prototype of a fifth-generation combat aircraft, the
Air Force commander said Wednesday.
A *Russian-Indian* advanced multirole fighter is being developed by Sukhoi,
which is part of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), and India's
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, under an intergovernmental agreement signed
in October.
"At present, we have prepared detailed work design documentation for the
fifth-generation aircraft," Colonel General Alexander Zelin said. "The
documentation has been passed to the manufacturer and it has begun the
construction of the prototype."
The new fighter aircraft, which will feature high maneuverability and
stealth to ensure air superiority and precision in destroying ground and sea
targets, will be built at the Komsomolsk-on- Amur aircraft-manufactur ing
plant in Russia's Far East.
Flight tests of the fifth-generation fighter will begin as early as 2009 and
mass production of the aircraft may start by 2015, the Sukhoi aircraft maker
earlier said.
http://www2. irna.ir/en/ news/view/ menu-237/ 0712130952152225 .htm
*Iran, Russia sign economic agreements*
*Iran *and *Russia* here Thursday signed five agreements on expansion of
cooperation in various fields of economy and commerce.
The agreements were signed by the visiting Iranian Foreign Minister
Manouchehr Mottaki and Russia's Atomic Energy Chief Sergei Kiriyenko,
co-chairing the 7th session of Iran-Russia Joint Economic and Commerce
Commission, held in Moscow.
Mottaki and Kiriyenko also inked the protocol of the commission.
Iranian and Russian experts have held sessions within the framework of
Commerce, Energy and Transportation Committees since Tuesday to draft the
agreements.
The sixth session of Iran-Russia Joint Economic and Commerce Commission was
held in Tehran last December.
US seeking direct confrontation: Russian general
Moscow: Russia's top military officer on Saturday accused the United States of seeking a direct confrontation with Moscow and warned again that U.S. plans to deploy missile defenses in Europe would destabilize the continent.
Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky said such a deployment would prompt an ''asymmetrical response.'' He did not elaborate.
Baluyevsky spoke at a joint news conference along with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak, who repeated that Russia would not increase troop levels on its western border, even after suspending participation in a key arms treaty.
The comments were the latest in a series of belligerent warnings to the United States and NATO from Russian officials.
Baluyevsky, the chief of Russia's general staff, said U.S. defense policies continued to openly challenge Moscow.
''The question of confrontation with Russia, mildly speaking, including direct confrontation, unfortunately has not been struck from the agenda of my colleagues at the Pentagon,'' he told reporters. He did not elaborate.
Among the issues that have most undermined Russian-US relations in recent years is a U.S. plan to put elements of a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, former Warsaw Bloc members who have joined NATO.
Russia has alleged that the system will be used to spy on Russian missile and military forces. Washington says it will help defend Europe from a potential missile attack from Iran.
''We plan and, depending on the situation, will take appropriate and asymmetric measures aimed at preventing the deterioration of our defense capability,'' Baluyevsky was quoted as saying by Interfax.
On Wednesday, Moscow formally suspended participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty, which limits the deployment of tanks, aircraft and other heavy weapons across the continent.
Officials have said the moratorium was not a threat, but rather an effort to persuade NATO nations to ratify a 1999 update of the pact.
Kislyak repeated that Russia did not intend to increase its force levels on the western border despite the moratorium.
''Russia does not plan an extraordinary buildup of its forces that would threaten other states' security,'' Kislyak was quoted by Interfax as saying.
Moscow has also bristled over NATO's eastward expansion to include former Soviet republics in the Baltics.

Pre-Christian Roman Traditions:
Much of what people associate with Christmas, a holiday that is supposed to be about the birth of Jesus, actually pre-dates Christianity. Traditional Christianity celebrates the death of holy people, not their birth. In 274 CE, though, pagan emperor Aurelian proclaimed Decemer 25th Natalis Solis Invicti, the festival of the birth of the invincible sun. Saturnalia already occurred around this time along with many other celebrations. Christians took over this and other Roman festivals.
Pre-Christian German Traditions:
Germans of the north also held mid-winter festivals. Evergreen trees and holly were important because they held their green colors despite the harshest winters. Another Nordic tradition is the Yule Log

Congress, Bush in clash over CIA interrogation tapes

Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: alashbiswaskl@gmail.com">palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Congress and President George W. Bush were headed for confrontation Saturday as US lawmakers accused the Justice Department of blocking their probe into whether the CIA tried to cover up torture by destroying interrogation tapes.
Lawmakers from both parties expressed outrage after Bush's Attorney General Michael Mukasey asked a congressional panel to postpone its investigation of the destroyed videotapes on grounds it could jeopardize the Justice Department's own inquiry into the affair.
"Earlier today, our staff was notified that the Department of Justice has advised CIA not cooperate with our investigation," said a statement Friday from the Democratic chair of the House intelligence committee, Silvestre Reyes, and the ranking Republican, Pete Hoekstra.
"We are stunned that the Justice Department would move to block our investigation. Parallel investigations occur all the time, and there is no basis upon which the attorney general can stand in the way of our work," the statement said.
"It is clear that there's more to this story than we have been told, and it is unfortunate that we are being prevented from learning the facts," it added.
The two lawmakers threatened to issue subpoenas to obtain relevant information and to force Central Intelligence Agency officials to testify if the Justice Department refused to back down.
Democrats and human rights groups have charged the spy agency of disposing of the videotapes showing harsh interrogations of two Al-Qaeda operatives to hide evidence of torture -- a charge the CIA denies.
The tapes reportedly show the operatives undergoing waterboarding, a technique widely regarded as torture. But Mukasey himself refused to brand the technique torture in Congressional hearings in October on his nomination to become attorney general.
Lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives have demanded all cables, memorandums and e-mails related to the tapes from top CIA officials, but in his letter Friday Mukasey asked the House intelligence committee to put off any probe to allow the Justice Department and an internal CIA watchdog to complete a preliminary inquiry.
Mukasey, who became the country's top law enforcement official in November, said in his letter that responding to lawmakers' requests for key documents and testimony "would present significant risks to our preliminary inquiry."
"Consequently, we respectfully request that the committee defer its investigation of this matter at this time," Mukasey wrote.
"Our ability to obtain the most reliable and complete information would likely be jeopardized if the CIA undertakes the steps necessary to respond to your requests in a comprehensive fashion at this time," he added.
The revelation that the CIA taped harsh interrogations of at least two Al-Qaeda suspects after the September 11 attacks in 2001 has renewed allegations the Bush administration has allowed abuse and torture of detainees.
Hayden revealed last week that the tapes were made in 2002 and destroyed in 2005, just as Congress was investigating allegations of US abuse of "war on terror" detainees.
Hayden has denied the use of torture and said the tapes, intended as an internal check on how interrogations were carried out, were destroyed to prevent any leak that could identify and endanger CIA agents.
But a United Nations human rights official said on Thursday the videotapes' destruction only reinforces fears that US detainees face torture.
It "is one more argument that supports the contention that the CIA has been involved and continues to be involved in the use of interrogation techniques that violate the absolute prohibition against torture," special rapporteur Martin Scheinin told journalists.
Scheinin, who is the UN expert on human rights and counter-terrorism, said the behaviour of CIA officials he met on a visit to the US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba this month only strengthened these suspicions.
US backs down over climate change
The United States of America has dropped its opposition to a deal over climate change at UN talks in Bali.
ADVERTISEMENT
Following tense talks, ministers from around 180 countries meeting in Bali agreed the agenda for a global emissions cuts agreement to launch negotiations for a post-2012 agreement to tackle climate change.
The compromise deal was hailed by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn as "an historic breakthrough".
Agreement for the road map followed a dramatic U-turn by the US, which had threatened to block the deal at the 11th hour and been booed by other countries.
"We will go forward and join consensus," Paula Dobriansky, heading the U.S. delegation, told the 190-nation meeting to cheers from many in the audience.
No other speakers opposed the compromise deal after an appeal by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for delegates to overcome splits.
"I am disappointed at the lack of progress," he said. "Your work is not yet over...everybody should be able to make compromises. You have in your hands the ability to deliver to the peoples of the world a successful outcome."
Hamas marks 20th anniversary
Hamas has marked the 20th anniversary of its founding with a huge rally in Gaza City.
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Tens of thousands of supporters of the Palestinian militant group took part in the gathering.
In the crowd were dozens of members of the Hamas military wing, among them armed men carrying replicas of home-made Qassam rockets.
Deposed Palestinian Prime Minister and Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said the occasion proved that "generations will not falter, God willing, even if the struggle lasts for decades."
"We will never allow the giving up of our land, of Palestine, Jerusalem, or Al-Aqsa," Mr Haniyeh said, referring to the mosque in Jerusalem.
Mr Haniyeh also alluded to the US sponsored Annapolis Israeli-Palestinian peace conference, saying that any negotiations that "aim to get us to forfeit our rights," such as the right of return and the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails were "doomed to fail."
In January 2006, Hamas won a surprise victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections, which resulted in a number of economic and diplomatic sanctions against the Palestinian government from Israel and its allies in the West.
Tension and infighting between Hamas and Fatah loyalists in government eventually led to widespread violence in Gaza and the West Bank.

SOLIDARITY CANDLE-VIGIL EVENT FOR SIDR CYCLONE VICTIMS
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: alashchandrabiswas@gmail.com">palashchandrabiswas@gmail.com
Bush admin to pledge $500 mn for Palestinians
Washington: The United States will pledge about $500 million for the moderate-led Palestinian government in the West Bank when Arab, European and other nations meet next week, U.S. officials said.
The money would go toward a goal of $5.6 billion that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair hopes to raise to rescue the tattered Palestinian economy and reinforce institutions that would become the backbone of an independent Palestinian state.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will deliver the pledge at a conference Blair has called Monday in Paris, the officials said. The officials spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because the figure has not been announced and might be changed slightly.
The money is part of world efforts to improve the Palestinians' financial position as new U.S.-sponsored peace talks begin.
Rice cannot promise that she can deliver on the pledge, which must be approved by the U.S. Congress. The money includes about $400 million that the White House has already announced, but that has not been approved by Congress.
Some members of Congress are worried that money spent to strengthen the West Bank eventually could benefit a rival radical-led government in the other, separate, Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip. Other legislators want greater assurance that the West Bank government has shed its long reputation for corruption and cronyism.
Rice will meet Sunday with Palestinian prime Minister Salam Fayyad to discuss the pledge. Fayyad is a banker whose clean reputation and efforts to reform the government are often praised by the Bush administration.
Fayyad is expected to raise Palestinian frustration that he has been unable to win assurances from Israel that it will ease stifling restrictions on Palestinian movement.
The World Bank has warned that unless Israel removes some of the physical and administrative obstacles to Palestinian travel and trade, donor countries may be wasting their money.
Even if the donors pay the full amount, the Palestinian economy would keep shrinking by about 2 percent a year as long as the Israeli restrictions remain in place, the World Bank wrote in a report issued Thursday.
Israel's military has been reluctant to remove some of the hundreds of roadblocks and barriers in the West Bank, saying they're an effective tool against Palestinian militants, and the Palestinian government does not have sufficient control over the territory to prevent attacks on Israelis.
The United States provides more than $2 billion a year in aid to Israel, its closest Middle East ally and single largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid. Egypt, the first Arab state to make peace with Israel, receives about $1.3 billion. Both nations would receive more money over the coming decade under a package announced this year.
By comparison, the United States provides very little to the Palestinians, whose economy and government are dependent on foreign donations. The $400 million requested this year marked a departure for the administration, which had contributed roughly $250 million in recent years.
The administration intended the $400 million to be spent in 2008.
The election victory of Hamas radicals nearly two years ago has complicated U.S. interaction with the Palestinians and hopes for peace in a separate and sovereign Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank. The United States and Israel regard Hamas as a terror group and refuse to deal with it. That meant the United States scaled back previous aid plans for fear of inadvertently giving money to Hamas.

From: sangeeta basumajumder <sangeeta.basumajumder@gmail.com >
Date: Dec 14, 2007 1:18 AM
Subject: SOLIDARITY CANDLE-VIGIL EVENT FOR SIDR CYCLONE VICTIMS
To: hindolbhattacharjee@gmail.com, apdr.wb@gmail.com, dipchak@gmail.com, hdri_cal2@yahoo.co.in

Respected Ratan Basu Majumdar,

Your feelings and role for Bangladesh enthuse our endeavours. Angikar Bangladesh will
remain ever grateful to you if you can intimate the following organisations and related others about our appeal noted below.

JONO SHYASTHA SWADHIKAR MONCHO

ANTORLINA

TASAM

BHASA SANGSKRITI SWADHIKAR MONCHA

JONO SANGSKRITI MONCHO

Greetings and regards.

Muhammad Hilaluddin.
Angikar Bangladesh.

PLEASE ORGANISE
- Hide quoted text -

SOLIDARITY CANDLE-VIGIL EVENT
FOR SIDR CYCLONE VICTIMS

Angikar Bangladesh

cordially requests you all around the globe to organise

CANDLE-VIGIL program

with 37 candles

on the occasion 37th Victory day of Bangladesh

in memory of SIDR cyclone victims

on 15 December evening at 7 PM.

In Dhaka there will be 2 memorial candle vigil at Rabindra-Sarobor, Dhanmondi

and Independance Park ( Victoria Park ) , Sadarghat at the aforementioned time.

Preparations are afoot to hold the occasion in several cities across continents and within Bangladesh
for organising the event.You can choose your own house and office premises as the venue too !
Please inform us about your solidaroty candle-vigil event.
--
Angikar Bangladesh Foundation, Sunibir, 25 West Nakhalpara, tejgaon, Dhaka 1215, Bangladesh.
01711806054(cell ).angikarbd@ yahoo.com, hifangbd@gmail.com, angikarbd@hotmail.com
Development in harmony with and respect of nature.
The Bangladeshi throughout the world observing the
Martyred Intellectuals Day today by paying glowing
tributes to the illustrious sons of the soil who made
supreme sacrifice at the fag end of the Liberation War
in 1971. Just two days before the victory of the
liberation war of Bangladesh, sensing the immanent
defeat, Pakistani occupation army and its partners
Al-Bard/Razakers committed the most heinous, cruel and
sinister crime in the history of mankind. The
Pakistani army with total support from its
collaborators systematically rounded up the country's
top intellectuals and killed them in cold blood.
The martyred intellectuals include Prof Munir
Chowdhury, Dr Alim Chowdhury, Prof Muniruzzaman, Dr
Fazle Rabbi, Sirajuddin Hossain, Shahidullah Kaiser,
Prof GC Dev, JC Guha Thakurta, Prof Santosh
Bhattacharya, Mofazzal Haider Chowdhury, journalists
Khandaker Abu Taleb, Nizamuddin Ahmed, SA Mannan (Ladu
Bhai), ANM Golam Mustafa, Syed Nazmul Haq and Selina
Parvin.
The nation also remember this day with deepest regret
knowing the fact that the architects of this cold
blooded crime were the Ameer of Jamat-e-Islami Party,
Bangladesh Moulana Motur Rahman Nizami (former
Industries Minister of 4 party alliance) and Secretary
General of the party Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed
(former Minister for Social Welfare of 4 party
alliance) and their godfather Prof. Golam Azam. A
detailed on the formation of Al-Badr and its mission
can be found by visiting East Pakistan Home ministry
daily reports forwarded to the President of Pakistan
during the liberation war of Bangladesh (recently
published in Bangladesh media).
The latest media reports say that many important files
on martyred and the liberation war can no longer be
found from the ministry after the 4-party alliances
took over the government. The worse news is that that
these criminals are demanding that there was no
liberation war in Bangladesh, it was just a civil war.
Thirty-six years have passed with the families of the
martyred intellectuals still waiting to see punishment
to the perpetrators. They had lodged cases against
Al-Badr, Al-Shams and Razakars since 1972 seeking
justice but over the years files of the cases gathered
dust only.
The whole nation is united and they want to see the
justice. Many hoped that at last this Caretaker
Government (CTG) will not play politics, but will
upheld the sanctity of the country and its
constitution. It is hard to believe having all
credible information with the government (East
Pakistan Home Ministry files) they are not proceeding
with the sedition case against these Jamatis. CTG
took a stand not to pursue this case, since based on
the constitution this issue is out of their
responsibilities. Now question comes, does this
constitution allow the CTG to be in power more than 3
months? Can anyone answer this question?
Regards
Hares Sayed
Washington, DC
An Open Letter to the Australian Nation
from the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical
Commission of the National Council of Churches in Australia
"No Room at the Inn"
At this time of the year, as we turn our minds to Christmas and reflect
on the year that was (and what a year it was) and look forward to the
year to come, I cannot help but think of many of my Indigenous brothers
and sisters. This season of peace, hope and joy leads me to ask, 'what
peace, hope and joy will be given unto us with the coming of the Christ
Child into the world?' Over the last 237 years since Lt. James Cook
arrived, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been denied
a proper place within our own country. Just like Jesus' family on
returning to their home country we also have not been able to find a
proper place for ourselves in our own land.
Too many other interests seem to distract the country where we once
roamed freely. We have been turned away at the door and given scant
attention and meagre generosity by the new Innkeepers. It is
interesting that we, Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, were not
part of Federation, were forgotten about as the new wave of Immigrants
came from the Mediterranean during the post war years and were not on
the radar until the 1967 referendum. Except, of course, when we were
allowed to lose our lives fighting for this country, or when we were
seen as strange curiosities of a bygone era. Mostly, we were labelled
as a troublesome few dissidents who should not expect the same rights as
everyone else.
Children were removed from their families because it was perceived that
they were not being cared for to acceptable western standards. Or they
were taken away simply so they could be given the 'western makeover' to
fit better into western society. The only problem was that they still
had a different colour than those holding up the bar of mainstream
society.
This brings me to the question of an apology. The former Howard
Government was against any apology as it was seen that the mainstream
should not be held accountable for the past, and such an apology could
hold the State open to litigation. It's an interesting irony that in
this corporate world we live in, mainstream Australia will hold
accountable corporations for their past organisational failings, and yet
the nation cannot live up to its own corporate responsibilities. As for
the apology itself, the Nation is either Sorry or it's not. Putting
provisos on it (we regret etc.) is not an apology. If we are going to
move forward then it is very important that the Nation says Sorry and
accepts any consequences that might result. The present Rudd Government
must take the lead on this and soon.
The continual denial of the rights of Indigenous peoples, as Australian
Citizens, has gone on for too long. We have a right to education,
health and the many opportunities that most Australians take for
granted. Governments need to act now to correct these situations, which
occur around the country not just the Northern Territory, and close the
gap between us and the mainstream. As I've often said in other Forums,
how can Australia set out to save the world when there is so much to be
done at home? What credibility does Australia have if it is not working
to correct the situations in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
communities?
There needs to be a plan, not knee jerk reactions, to address these
situations. The Millennium Development Goals help us in this area.
These eight time bound and measurable goals discourage empty rhetoric.
They encourage us to formulate concrete plans to build a better future
for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The first step to any action is recognition of what is currently
happening. We have no real voice or say or control in what is happening
to us. Outsiders are dictating our future. There is no national
representative voice to carry our hopes, dreams and desires forward into
the future. Hand picked advisors are not a representative voice. A
process needs to be put into place where a representative voice can be
heard and acted upon. National conventions need to be held so that
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can contribute to the
process of forming this new voice and eventually own the outcomes.
People say that there is not one voice in Indigenous Australia, but
surely that can also be said of mainstream Australia. Our Federal
Parliament, with different parties and different factions, continues to
exist. The one voice comes when these groups are allowed a forum like
Parliament to reach compromise and consensus for the good of all. This
forum will help lead us into a better tomorrow for our children and
children's children. The issue of whether we should be included in the
preamble to the constitution of Australia can also be debated in these
forums and a proposition then put forward to the Australian people in a
future referendum. These issues cannot be put off until tomorrow for
tomorrow may never come. Many of our great Indigenous leaders are
already passing on and we need their valuable input into these forums.
As I reflect this Christmas time, I wonder if Australia will place their
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians again in the stable,
as Jesus was over 2,000 years ago, or will we be invited in to share
fully in the Australia which is so gifted, diverse and forward looking.
Will we begin to "Make Indigenous Poverty History" this Christmas?
May the peace, hope and Joy of Christmas fill all Australians with the
hope of a new tomorrow!
Graeme Mundine
Executive Secretary
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission
National Council of Churches in Australia
Mb: 0419 238 788
_____________________________________
Ms Debra Porter
Communications Officer
Locked Bag 199
Sydney NSW 1230
Ph: (02) 8259 0802 Fax: (02) 9262 4514
http://www.ncca.org.au

Dying without a voice: Farmers' suicide in India
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: alashbiswaskl@gmail.com">palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
Dying without a voice: Farmers' suicide in India

Debanish Achom
http://www.merinews .com/catFull. jsp?articleID= 128538
13 December 2007, Thursday

THERE WERE over one lakh reported incidents of suicides among farmers in India in six years between 1998 and 2003, but the media has done very little to bring understanding of this issue, especially the broadcast medium, according to a report by the CMS (Centre for Media Studies), New Delhi, an autonomous research body dealing with developmental issues.

Though the print media has a slightly better analysis of the situation, the Indian television news media continues to ignore a reality that is only growing more severe, stated the report titled 'A look at Indian Media Representation of Farmer Suicides'. A team of CMS researchers led by PN Vasanti, director of CMS, and Radha Vij monitored from January to March 2006 six Hindi news channels, six English newspapers and two Telugu newspapers.

The team collected news based on whether the item contained an agricultural focus and a mention of farmers' suicides, including editorial mention, frontpage hits, reporting weightage and editorial versus reporting combination.

During the study period, there were 44 farmers' suicides in Vidarbha – the worst affected region. Although one of the six well-known newspapers reported the stories on four occasions, there was no TV news report on these incidents, according to the study.
"The highest recorded areas of TV news focus were national politics, sports, entertainment and business news," said Prabhakar, head of the CMS media lab. The study concluded after analysing the data collected that agricultural news was seldom included as a news item within the spectrum of national politics and business, although the crisis leading to farmers' suicides shares elements with all.

According to the study, a Delhi-based newspaper, although reported 'reasonably' , showed a bias towards farmers' suicides in Vidarbha alone by excluding related suicides news from other parts of India. The study further stated that 'readers of that paper are more likely to presume that farmer suicides are only happening in Vidarbha, as opposed to readers of other papers who will have a slightly better understanding of the breadth of the problem'.

Meanwhile, CMS Hyderabad monitored three prominent Telugu newspapers during this period, and found 39 news stories on farmers' suicides. This number is only lower than that of the three most prominent English national dailies, which collected 57 stories in total, the report stated.

However, three English newspapers from the list of six were later dropped from the study because of the limited coverage given to farmers' suicides. The only two farmer suicide stories, one of them dealt were 'ambiguous and reductive' in terms of factual detail, says the study. According to the study, while one article speculated the Vidarbha-based incident was spawned by debt, the other based on a greater New Delhi incident – omitted reason all together .

"Farmers' suicide reporting is incidental, not intentional, which is very unfortunate, " said Prabhakar. "Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are more important it seems. Nobody prefers to put farmers' suicide stories on page one," he added.

CMS is currently working with many researchers on other developmental issues, said Prabhakar. Former principal information officer to the Union Government S Narendra is also a consultant of CMS.

Ramadoss a misfit, says apex doctors body
New Delhi: Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss is simply an MBBS and the country needs experts to manage the portfolio, said the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the apex association of doctors in the country, and asked the minister to involve it in decision making.
IMA chief Ajay Kumar on Friday said Ramadoss should not ask for support from Indian American doctors without first taking Indian doctors into confidence.
Speaking at the Indo-US health summit attended by over 125 doctors from the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), Kumar said: "The minister and the AAPI are behaving like two roses, and I feel IMA is a thorn in between."
"Let me tell you that he (Ramadoss) cannot achieve success with outside support. External immunity cannot help a body much, what we need is internal immunity," he said hitting out at the minister present at the function.
IMA, a private association of tens of thousands of doctors, has been at loggerheads with the minister over the proposed quota for other backward classes (OBCs) in institutes of higher learning for the past two years.
On Thursday, Kumar told IANS in reply to a question, that the "health minister is just an MBBS. The country needs an expert."
The IMA had also hit the streets several times opposing the government's quota move. Ramadoss has been supporting reservation for OBCs in top medical institutes and other institutes like the premier Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
Ramadoss, addressing the summit, asked AAPI members to help India in improving maternal mortality, infant mortality and train Indian doctors in trauma care.
"My prime focus is reducing the maternal and infant mortality rate in the country. It's very high as against global standards. We have rolled out the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and want to upgrade all hospitals across the country.
"Here, we need the help of our doctors residing aboard. Trauma care and emergency medicine are two other areas where they can contribute largely to us," Ramadoss said.
He said many Indian doctors residing abroad are coming back and this is because of "our growth". "The infrastructure, the exposure and other benefits are very good in India. The doctors are of very good standard as well."
"Last year, 300,000 foreigners visited India for medical procedure here. This is an indicator of our growth and the global community is recognising it," the minister explained.
Indian-American doctors said they would help their native country upgrade its medical education system and train Indians in the field of emergency medicine.
Over 125 doctors of Indian-origin from the US are in the capital to participate in the first-ever Indo-US Healthcare summit. The three-day summit began Thursday.
"We are here to share our knowledge and help improve the medical system in India," said AAPI president Hemant Patel.
Patel said the meeting aims at bringing together caring and dedicated physicians from both the countries to focus on six disease areas - diabetes, heart ailments, AIDS, TB, mental health and emergency medicine.
Strangely similar: Modi and Lalu
Ahmedabad: Comparisons are odious, all the more so when they are made between politicians who espouse radically differing ideologies. But there’s a lot in common between the way Narendra Modi and Lalu Yadav reach out to their audiences. On home turf, both are peerless communicators.
Both hold audiences spellbound, but their messages are very different. In the high voltage campaign that closed on Friday, Modi’s way with crowds in Gujarat was eerily reminiscent of Lalu’s in Bihar.
Lalu used to direct policemen to allow people to get past the security barricades and closer to himself on the stage. Then he would embark on a dialogue with his listeners rather than a speech: pose questions, crack jokes and tear into his rival’s plank with a flourish.
Modi is much the same. Is Gujarat safe in the hands of a party that had its office vandalised by disappointed ticket-seekers, he asked. (This happened at the state Congress headquarters for two days when poll candidates were announced.) “No, never,” roared back the crowd.
While their styles are similar, the content of their speeches is obviously a different matter.
The RJD chief is a staunch defender of secularism. Modi in contrast played on popular fears through the campaign, depicting the Congress as weak-kneed in standing up to terror. The waving arms, the clenched fists, the pauses, the changes of tone — all cast a hypnotic spell. The crowd seemed completely convinced, clapping furiously in agreement with Modi’s wily spin on Sohrabuddin and Afzal Guru.
The underlying message was that while both the men were terrorists, the former, in Gujarat, had been eliminated, but the latter had not despite having been given the death sentence by the courts. A combination of a misplaced obsession with security, patriotic fervor and subtle communalism is what sustains the Modi persona, painstakingly cultivated to override caste allegiances and sway the majority on religious lines, specially the middle class in the cities.
How large is this middle class? Yamal Vyas, BJP spokesman, estimated it at 35-40 per cent of the state’s population. It is the class Modi has pampered.
It is towns and cities which have got the lion’s share of power, and the Narmada waters. Policemen look the other way when young bikers ride without helmets on, despite a court diktat for them to do so. Even prohibition norms have been relaxed in the SEZ areas in this traditionally Gandhian and dry state.
“This is a stark contrast to rural Saurashtra where authorities have been using a questionable regulation to jail thousands of farmers for allegedly pilfering power,” said journalist-activist Digant Oza.
Oza maintains that 72 of Gujarat’s 182 constituencies are largely urban or semi-urban — and in all of them, Modi is still a hero.
In contrast, the Congress reached voters through localised initiatives and mass rallies. Against Modi’s 170 meetings across 150 constituencies, Sonia addressed 10 rallies where attendance was above 1 lakh. Rahul’s road shows in Surat and Vadodhara also drew huge crowds.
The people the Congress attracted were a different lot from the pro-Modi middle class: the rural poor, the slum dwellers, the adivasis and those castes alienated by the Modi’s treatment of regional satraps like Keshubhai Patel.
It remains to be seen which section of Gujarat will win the ballot box battle.

When the Eastern and Western culture clash
Palash Biswas

Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: alashbiswaskl@gmail.com">palashbiswaskl@gmail.com

When the Eastern and Western culture clash
Posted by: "S Turkman" turkman@sbcglobal.net torkmaan
Date: Fri Dec 14, 2007 1:48 pm ((PST))

My comments are inserted below. ---------------------------------
Posted by: "wasi950" wasi950@yahoo.com When the Eastern and Western
culture clash
By Wasi Siddiqui
(Member of the Canadian Authors Association) TURKMAN: Authors of what?
Conspiracy Theories? -----------------------------

It is often been said that when there is a hurricane in the sea, no
matter how big the boat is, it will sink because the culture of the
sea does not compromise with it's furry whoever tries to come in
it's path, this is exactly what happened at the calm neighborhood of
Mississauga, where a teenager was strangled to death by her father
apparently for not wearing scarf or following Islamic culture.

When an immigrant family comes to Canada, there are lots of
challenges to be face starting from not getting a job in their
respectable fields, an engineer working as a security guard, a
doctor working as cab driver, and then waiting for 3 months before
applying for health card because getting sick during these 3 months
might cost a fortune since medicines are so expensive to buy, any
way this is just a start in getting accustomed to the tradition life
of Canada then comes the most difficult part , when their children
future when they seek admissions in schools and colleges in order
to give their children a new life in totally a different environment.
TURKMAN: Please tell me, in which Moslim Country they would face less
trouble than this after emigrating? What do you want Canada to do to
solve this problem? Give every immigrant a million dollars as he lands in
Canada. --------------------------------

As soon as the immigrants start to settle down in Canada , their
biggest fear becomes a reality when their children adopts something
new in schools which is called " the western culture" the culture
which is totally different from their homeland specially in a Muslim
society where mingling with boys of girls are often regarded as bad
and not allowed. TURKMAN: Why the hell they had applied for Canadian
Immigration if they were worried about their religion so much? You
people violate orders of Allah in Qoraan, "Not to live in land of Non
Moslims" and then as soon as you land in advanced countries of the West, you
want to change laws of these countries since these countries permit
religion of freedom implying to use your rights. Is this not true?
----------------------------------
All the religion has their limitation so does the
Islam, where it is prohibited for a Muslim woman to frankly talking
with a strangers or making boyfriends. TURKMAN: Well, when you knew
Canada is not a Moslim Country, why the hell you applied for her
Immigration or entered illegally then? -------------------------

Although the wearing of scarf is compulsory, and it is always
advisable for a Muslim woman to wear it as it avoid a stranger
getting their attention, while the western culture called it veils
are a sign of radicalization, a move to Islamism € ¦’· the most extreme

interpretation of Islam. The veil is often considered an obstacle to
integration. " And sometimes the headline read as "The Muslim woman
needed to be liberated from veil". TURKMAN: Nowhere in Qoraan says,
"Scarf is compulsory". Why are you lying? I thought Moslims are not
supposed to lie. Of course, if your daughters want everything Canada stands
for they have to be liberated from your clutches. Candadian President
had not gone to your house in the Ghetto you lived in Pakistan, you had
begged Canada to grant you Immigration. Why didn't you think of all
that before begging Canada to grant you Immigration if you cared for your
Islamic Belief so much?
------------------------------
The Quran says " Tell the faithful women to lower their gaze and
guard their private parts and not display their beauty except what
is apparent of it, and to extend their scarf to cover their bosom
- Source: Quran, 24:31 (English translation)

TURKMAN: Why didn't you tell this to Canadian Immigration Officials,
when you were begging for Immigration of Canada if you really believed
in these verses? Do all the women in your country do, what Qoraan says?
----------------------------
It is time that immigrant families should know that when they have
decided to come to Canada or any other western country they should
sit down with their children to talk about the things which they
like and what are those things which they will not tolerate, instead
of starting a culture clash that reach to a boiling point when their
parents decided to take the law into their hands.

TURKMAN: Oh yes please because what you are saying is just a
pretence. Nobody trying to get out of Pakistan cares, what would be life about
in an advanced rich coungtry. Moslims just want to get out of the Hell
of their countries to have a better life. Only after reaching these
countries they learn they can change the laws of these countries since
freedom of religion is allowed in all such countries. Who the hell are you
trying to B.S. here but yourself?
------------------------------
The biggest concern or the Muslim families is that why in schools
sex education are being taught in the name of education, this give
their teenagers a freedom to engaging in sex with their partners
even thought sexuality is a part of all human nature but this
freedom is just more than necessary and thus come in contact with
AIDS/HIV, or even left their own face with disgrace in the society.

TURKMAN: Oh so you are admitting that you can not raise your
daughters right according to your religion just because of Sex Education. Well,
had not Qoraan told you to don't live in Non Moslim lands to start
with? Why is Canada or any other Non Moslim country is at fault and you
are not then?
-----------------------------
This is where the culture clash starts, they began to speak English
only and forget their mother-tongue and wearing jeans and with
chewing gum in their mouth, with I-Pod in their pockets always
listening to music, shaking their heads like monkey and speaking
western style common word like "F" words, while they considered
themselves above all and even above the law, as they adopt this new
culture , their own culture becomes a joke where Muslims are
required to pray five times a day, read Quran, lead a simple
life, give charity, Hajj concept completely forgotten and thus
name of Islam became a history for them.

TURKMAN: Oh sure in your country, you were praying 5 times a day,
reading Qoran, leading a simple life, giving charity and believing
whatever is Hajj concept besides smuggling and touring. Who the hell are you
fooling sir, I'm one of your countryman knowing the truth behind all
your lies.
----------------------------
There are many Muslim families living in Canada who have made
compromise with their children, in one of the case a Muslim woman
marries to a Hindu man and then before their marriage, a celebration
was held where strippers were hired to entertain the guests and
Muslim parents were also present as a part of celebration. How
shameful is this?

In other such incident, in a Muslim family, a man who was sponsored
by his wife to come to Canada was wrongly blamed as "sexual
impotent" and then she gave him divorce and left to humiliation, now
the same person married and living with his wife and 2 children.

TURKMAN: Sir, these examples still do not explain, why the hell you,
non believer and criticizer of such stuff is in a Non Moslim Country in
violation of Islam or Allah's own words against such an Immigration.
Allah had declared Moslims born in Mecca, who had not emigrated to
Madian, Non Moslims in Qoraan. How the hell your moving to Non Moslim land
from a Moslim land can be declared by Him? I need an answer to this
before you go any fargther? Who the hell are you trying to fool here?
--------------------
The clash of the eastern and western culture has now entered into a
danger level, where anyone, anytime can become a victim of this new
culture clash, a clash which will continue to happen unless today's
youth understand and return to their faith and culture because once
they leave their home, it is not their parents watching them, but
only Allah, whom they should be fearing all the time.

TURKMAN: So, here you are legalizing killing of our daughters in
Canada and all other Non Moslim Countries if they don't wear the Mini Tent
called 'Hijaab', when we can't even find any verse of Allah legalizing
any kind of Mini Tents? Sir, you need a Psychologist because you the
blind followers of our Mollaas had believed in their Edicts that our
Scientists were wrong and earth was not round like a ball. Your kind of
people were responsible for end of us being the most advanced in Sciences
since all such Scientists were either beheaded by you or had to escape
to Europe. Your kind of people are responsible for ban of all books of
Science in Islamic World. I have no idea, why the hell you emigragted
to Canada if you were such a Slave of Mollaas. I have an advice for all
you people. Go back to your Moslim Countries if you think countries,
who had granted you Citizenship can not provide you Freedom of Religion
but then I know, you are not going to accept my advice since Islam
is not as important to you than your Standard of Living and Good Life
in Non Moslim rich Countries. You are just trying to fool the natives
of these countries reminding of their own laws instead of you being
committed to Islam. I have been in USA for 34 years and I know, how many of
my friends and acquaintances have grown beards as soon as their
daughters grew up and started acting like Mollaas, when they cared about no
Islam before. They were having sex with White American Chicks, Gambling,
Consuming Alcohol and doing everything else. Why the whole Islam has
to come down on Moslim Immigrants as soon as their daugters start having
sex with other Moslim Boys ane Americans, when it had not bothered
them, when they themselves were having sex with White American Girls
earlier? Where was their Islam then?

Messages in this topic (1)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

8a. Defending the rights in US
Posted by: "S Turkman" turkman@sbcglobal.net torkmaan
Date: Fri Dec 14, 2007 1:48 pm ((PST))

Hyder Shaikh (using Muradali as his new ID), 1. Americans have
never tried to act like they are the righteous Christians.
2. According to US Constitution, the 'Separation of Church & State'
law prohibits US Govt. to side with any religion.
3. US Media shows no mercy on Religion like Media of all Moslim
Countries does and every Radio and TV Station starts with Recitatiuon of
Qoraan.

Why the hell then are you linking Racism in USA to Christianity
unless you are a biased JehaaDi Mollaa propagating hate against USA?
Who the hell are you fooling?
All of us Moslims know, how Racist we are. Encouraging Racist Blacks
to go to Moslim Countries by giving them money to spread hate in Moslim
Countries against USA is nothing but a crude joke and a very malicious
thing. We should audit accounts of such Black American Racists and ban
the Moslim Charitable Organizations, that provided them money since
its nothing but treason. Don't you people realize, your those
Organizations have Non Profitable Status because of US Laws and they are getting
all that money from Moslims, who were allowed to migrate to USA because
of kind hearts of Americans?
Does it say in Qoraan that you should spread hate against, who
provided you a Sanctuary and your Benifactors?
Have the Moslims, who donated that money been informed by your
Charitable Ogranzations, how are they spending their money to spread hate
against the country they live off?
Could you tell me by which verse of Qoraan all this becomes legal in
Islam?
Posted by: "muradali shaikh" muradali_shaikh2@yahoo.co.uk
Defending rights against racism: A black visitor from Africa Thursday,
December 13, 2007 A former Black Panther, Dhoruba el-M€ ¦ücahid bin Wahad
was in Istanbul for World Human Rights Day to tell the story of his
struggle against racism. He says that racism never ended and the harsh
policies of the US against blacks and Muslims is nothing new

€ ¦ÞAFAK T€ ¦ÝMUR
ISTANBUL - TDN
It was an unusual sight for a group of primary school children in
Istanbul's conservative Fatih district to see a black man amid them Tuesday,
who are only used to seeing the occasional black tourist or figures in
Hollywood movies.
He was the center of their attention, not only for his skin color, but
also with his raised and passionate voice in a street caf€ ¦é in this
otherwise calm neighborhood, even though not a word he was saying in
English made any sense to them.
Dhoruba el-M€ ¦ücahid bin Wahad, formerly Richard Moore, was telling
the Turkish Daily News his story with the legendary Black Panthers in the
United States, which was engaged in an armed struggle during the end
of the 1960s against racism and to defend the rights of
African-Americans.

€ ¦’³There are two histories in America. The history of the oppressor
and the history of oppressed. One is the history we live, the other is
the history the white superiors have,€ ¦’´ said Bin Wahad, a former
panther who spent 19 years in prison for allegedly killing two police
officers but was released after he was found not guilty. The ruling elite in
the United States and corporate publications try to portray the
experiences of African-Americans as an American experience, Bin Wahab said,
adding that Europeans were not in the slave ships with Africans and
chained with them.
Currently living in western Africa, Bin Wahad came to Turkey this week
for World Human Rights Day on Dec. 10 at the invitation of Humanitarian
Aid Foundation (€ ¦ÝHH). Having converted to Islam while in prison, he
still works for the rights of African-Americans and is engaged in a
struggle against the use and sales of drugs among African-Americans. The
struggle against drugs among his community is like a tradition that has
carried on from his days with the Black Panthers, which believed
eliminating drug addiction among their community, was a priority. Bin Wahab
was found not guilty when secret documents of the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) about a counter intelligence program on dissident
organizations were revealed.

Racism never ended
Bin Wahab argued that Muslims and African-Americans in the United
States were being tortured even before the anti-terror measures were taken
by the American government after Sept. 11. If the world thinks that the
U.S. has just started to torture people, they should think again, he
said. € ¦’³White supremacy is at the ideological basis and roots of the
U.S.,€ ¦’´ Bin Wahab said, adding that it has been the fabric of America
from the very beginning as it is a European settler state. There was a
greater holocaust carried out against Africans for centuries,
according to bin Wahab and they never apologized for it, since genocide was not
a crime at the time.

US democracy is not for Africans
Democracy is for the rich, not for African-Americans or people with
other ethnic roots, he said. That's why he does not believe that the rise
of two African-Americans, current and former secretary of states, Colin
Powell and Condoleezza Rice, to the very top of the American ruling
elite means there is no racism in the U.S. today. € ¦’³Powell and Rice
are like the token clerks in the metro; token clerks collect tokens but
do not run the metro. Rice does not determine the policy of the U.S.
government despite her relationship with (George W.) Bush. White males
determine the policy of the U.S.,€ ¦’´ he said, € ¦’³Powell and Rice are
in denial of their own histories.€ ¦’´
Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate in the upcoming
elections, will not make a difference in the United States either,
according to Bin Wahab. The foreign policy of a Democrat or Republican
president would not differ, he said. € ¦’³Barack Obama is a white man with a
black face,€ ¦’´ Bin Wahab said.

Accepting racism
The U.S. does not want to confront and face its history, Bin Wahab
said. € ¦’³They are an empire in denial,€ ¦’´ he said, and € ¦’³the therapy
will not start before the denial ends.€ ¦’´ The U.S. in its war
against terrorism and Islam argues that Muslims are killing innocent people
and this is even a sin in Islam, Bin Wahab said.
€ ¦’³Yes I agree,€ ¦’´ he said, € ¦’³even the first commandment says
not to kill.€ ¦’´ However killing African-Americans was not a sin, as
they were not regarded as human beings, he said.
Bin Wahab argued that those African-Americans opting to become Muslims
are returning to € ¦’³a part of their history that was pushed down and
denigrated.€ ¦’´ The affect of Islam on the black movement in the U.S.
has been marginal for Bin Wahab since Muslims live in a state of fear,
he says.

Congress, Bush in clash over CIA interrogation tapes

Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: alashbiswaskl@gmail.com">palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Congress and President George W. Bush were headed for confrontation Saturday as US lawmakers accused the Justice Department of blocking their probe into whether the CIA tried to cover up torture by destroying interrogation tapes.
Lawmakers from both parties expressed outrage after Bush's Attorney General Michael Mukasey asked a congressional panel to postpone its investigation of the destroyed videotapes on grounds it could jeopardize the Justice Department's own inquiry into the affair.
"Earlier today, our staff was notified that the Department of Justice has advised CIA not cooperate with our investigation," said a statement Friday from the Democratic chair of the House intelligence committee, Silvestre Reyes, and the ranking Republican, Pete Hoekstra.
"We are stunned that the Justice Department would move to block our investigation. Parallel investigations occur all the time, and there is no basis upon which the attorney general can stand in the way of our work," the statement said.
"It is clear that there's more to this story than we have been told, and it is unfortunate that we are being prevented from learning the facts," it added.
The two lawmakers threatened to issue subpoenas to obtain relevant information and to force Central Intelligence Agency officials to testify if the Justice Department refused to back down.
Democrats and human rights groups have charged the spy agency of disposing of the videotapes showing harsh interrogations of two Al-Qaeda operatives to hide evidence of torture -- a charge the CIA denies.
The tapes reportedly show the operatives undergoing waterboarding, a technique widely regarded as torture. But Mukasey himself refused to brand the technique torture in Congressional hearings in October on his nomination to become attorney general.
Lawmakers in the Senate and House of Representatives have demanded all cables, memorandums and e-mails related to the tapes from top CIA officials, but in his letter Friday Mukasey asked the House intelligence committee to put off any probe to allow the Justice Department and an internal CIA watchdog to complete a preliminary inquiry.
Mukasey, who became the country's top law enforcement official in November, said in his letter that responding to lawmakers' requests for key documents and testimony "would present significant risks to our preliminary inquiry."
"Consequently, we respectfully request that the committee defer its investigation of this matter at this time," Mukasey wrote.
"Our ability to obtain the most reliable and complete information would likely be jeopardized if the CIA undertakes the steps necessary to respond to your requests in a comprehensive fashion at this time," he added.
The revelation that the CIA taped harsh interrogations of at least two Al-Qaeda suspects after the September 11 attacks in 2001 has renewed allegations the Bush administration has allowed abuse and torture of detainees.
Hayden revealed last week that the tapes were made in 2002 and destroyed in 2005, just as Congress was investigating allegations of US abuse of "war on terror" detainees.
Hayden has denied the use of torture and said the tapes, intended as an internal check on how interrogations were carried out, were destroyed to prevent any leak that could identify and endanger CIA agents.
But a United Nations human rights official said on Thursday the videotapes' destruction only reinforces fears that US detainees face torture.
It "is one more argument that supports the contention that the CIA has been involved and continues to be involved in the use of interrogation techniques that violate the absolute prohibition against torture," special rapporteur Martin Scheinin told journalists.
Scheinin, who is the UN expert on human rights and counter-terrorism, said the behaviour of CIA officials he met on a visit to the US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba this month only strengthened these suspicions.
US backs down over climate change
The United States of America has dropped its opposition to a deal over climate change at UN talks in Bali.
ADVERTISEMENT
Following tense talks, ministers from around 180 countries meeting in Bali agreed the agenda for a global emissions cuts agreement to launch negotiations for a post-2012 agreement to tackle climate change.
The compromise deal was hailed by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn as "an historic breakthrough".
Agreement for the road map followed a dramatic U-turn by the US, which had threatened to block the deal at the 11th hour and been booed by other countries.
"We will go forward and join consensus," Paula Dobriansky, heading the U.S. delegation, told the 190-nation meeting to cheers from many in the audience.
No other speakers opposed the compromise deal after an appeal by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for delegates to overcome splits.
"I am disappointed at the lack of progress," he said. "Your work is not yet over...everybody should be able to make compromises. You have in your hands the ability to deliver to the peoples of the world a successful outcome."
Hamas marks 20th anniversary
Hamas has marked the 20th anniversary of its founding with a huge rally in Gaza City.
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Tens of thousands of supporters of the Palestinian militant group took part in the gathering.
In the crowd were dozens of members of the Hamas military wing, among them armed men carrying replicas of home-made Qassam rockets.
Deposed Palestinian Prime Minister and Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said the occasion proved that "generations will not falter, God willing, even if the struggle lasts for decades."
"We will never allow the giving up of our land, of Palestine, Jerusalem, or Al-Aqsa," Mr Haniyeh said, referring to the mosque in Jerusalem.
Mr Haniyeh also alluded to the US sponsored Annapolis Israeli-Palestinian peace conference, saying that any negotiations that "aim to get us to forfeit our rights," such as the right of return and the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails were "doomed to fail."
In January 2006, Hamas won a surprise victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections, which resulted in a number of economic and diplomatic sanctions against the Palestinian government from Israel and its allies in the West.
Tension and infighting between Hamas and Fatah loyalists in government eventually led to widespread violence in Gaza and the West Bank.

Catholic church in India destroyed
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: alashchandrabiswas@gmail.com">palashchandrabiswas@gmail.com
Catholic church in India destroyed
A Catholic Church in India has been destroyed by Hindu extremists before its construction had even been completed.
by Charles Johnson
Posted: Saturday, December 15, 2007, 10:14 (GMT)
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/catholic.church.in.india.destroyed/15578.htm
Catholic Church in India has been destroyed by Hindu extremists before its construction had even been completed.
According to Fides, 150 Hindu extremists came to the Church of Divine mercy at 7am on 5 December. They drove away the construction workers before proceeding to destroy the church building along with the machines used in the construction work.
Eyewitnesses said that during the attack the gang shouted anti-Christian slogans and said they would "not tolerate Christian proselytising,” according to Fides.
Following the attack, the extremists told the builders they would attack again if they tried to continue building the church.
The church was targeted despite having all the permits required by law. According to the Catholic news agency, the Catholic community in the Delhi area were shocked and saddened by the attack.
In addition to this, they are said to be baffled by the attack in an area where Catholics are well respected and Hindu extremism is only minimal.
A local church source told Fides, “This was certainly an isolated incident but nevertheless it was totally unmotivated and a cause for concern.
“We hope the police will identify the culprits and bring them to justice. The Catholic Church in India respect[s] the law and extremists must not be allowed to violate constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms."
In a recent report given to the authorities in India, it was found that there were 464 violent incidents against Christians or Christian property in the last 20 months.
According to the report, the violence is mainly a result of growing religious extremism in Bihar, Karnataka and Gujarat. The capital of Delhi does not seem to suffer that much from such violence, the report suggests.
Vatican defends duty to evangelise, accept converts

The Roman Catholic Church on Friday defended its "right and duty" to spread its message to non-believers and to welcome converts, particularly from other Christian churches.
A document from the Vatican's doctrinal department also rejected charges from some quarters that spreading the faith and receiving converts amounted to proselytism, or seeking new members aggressively or through coercion.
The document comes after the Russian Orthodox Church accused Catholics of trying to poach souls in the former Soviet Union and as a growing number of Anglicans are converting to Catholicism following deep divisions in their own Church.
The 19-page "Note on Some Aspects of Evangelisation," was written by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which Pope Benedict headed until his election as pontiff in 2005.
Evangelisation, the document said, was "an inalienable right and duty, an expression of religious liberty ...", adding that the right to share one's own faith with others is not respected in some countries.
It said the note had been made necessary to contrast notions, including from some Catholic theologians, that attempts to convince others of the primacy of Catholicism was a limitation of their freedom.
"The incorporation of new members into the Church is not the expansion of a power group, but rather entrance into the network of friendship with Christ which connects heaven and earth, different continents and age. It is entrance into the gift of communion with Christ ...," the document said.

CONVERSIONS
Previous documents by the same doctrinal department have angered other Christians. Last July, one such document said Christian denominations outside Roman Catholicism were not full churches of Jesus Christ.
One section of Friday's document was dedicated to how Catholics should deal with conversions from other Christian churches.
It said that when other Christians asked to become Catholics "for reasons of conscience" and because they are "convinced of Catholic truth" this should be seen as a divinely inspired "expression of freedom of conscience and of religion."
In recent years a growing number of Anglicans, opposed to the ordination of women and gay bishops, have asked to convert to Catholicism. Three former bishops of the Episcopal Church, the United States wing of Anglicanism, have converted this year.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to convert to Catholicism soon.
The Vatican is working on a missionary "code of conduct" with Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox and evangelical leaders to help reduce tensions among Christians and with other faiths that have been caused by aggressive evangelisation drives.
Vigorous evangelisation by Pentecostal and evangelical missionaries in developing countries has angered Muslims and Hindus and led to arrests of missionaries and converts as well as anti-conversion laws in some countries.
Lord Carey appeals for safe return of British nationals held in Iraq
by Maria Mackay
Posted: Thursday, December 13, 2007, 11:07 (GMT)
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord George Carey, has appealed for the release of five British nationals who have been held in Iraq since May 2007.
Five Britons – four security guards and one computer expert - were kidnapped from a finance ministry building in Baghdad by Shia militiamen in May by abductors dressed in Iraqi police uniforms.
In a video broadcast on an Arabic television station last week, the hostage-takers threatened to kill one of the men if British forces did not leave Iraq within 10 days.
Lord Carey made his appeal on Wednesday during the televised broadcast of a message he was delivering to the five men on behalf of their relatives.
“I would like to add my own personal appeal at this holy time of Eid and Christmas - this is a peaceful time which is important for Muslims and Christians alike - that we may be able to see the safe return home of these men as soon as possible,” he said.
The message from the families stated: “We have been apart from you, our husbands, sons, brothers and fathers for over 6 months now and we hope and pray that you will be back home with us soon.
“It has been a difficult time for us all being apart from you, particularly at this time of the year. We love you and miss you very much and want you to know that you are never out of our thoughts.”
In the message, family members made a heartfelt appeal to the captors to allow the men to hear the message and release them from captivity.
“We appeal to those holding you; please allow our loved ones to hear this message and let them know how much we love them. We know that you have the power to return them to us and we ask you to do so. We remain serious and committed to exploring all the options open to us to bring about their safe return,” they stated.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for the immediate release of the hostages in response to the threat from the militiamen to kill one of the hostages.
"The taking of hostages is completely unjustified, wholly unacceptable and we are making it clear they will not change our policy in any way," Brown said.
"We will do everything in our power to secure our objective, which is the immediate release of the hostages."
Three wise men hit a barrier in Bethlehem
Posted: Thursday, December 13, 2007, 9:59 (GMT)
Tawfiq Salsaa's olive wood nativity scene looks like thousands of others sold to pilgrims in Bethlehem at Christmas. Except in his version, a wall separates the baby Jesus from the three wise men.
"I wanted to give the world an idea of how we live in the Holy Land," the 65-year-old Palestinian carpenter said in his workshop, his sweater speckled with sawdust.
"I was inspired by our own wall."
Salsaa has sold almost 400 of his hand-carved nativity scenes caricaturing Israel's West Bank barrier -- a hated symbol of occupation for Palestinians. They have gone to churches and individuals through a British-based charity and advocacy group.
With his carvings, Salsaa aims to chip away at a sentimental image of Bethlehem portrayed in Christmas cards and carols worldwide to show the hardships faced by Palestinians today in the town revered as the birthplace of Jesus 2,000 years ago.
Modern Bethlehem is encircled by checkpoints and Israeli walls and fences built on Arab land on a line that Palestinians say obstructs the possibility of them establishing a viable state and stifles the economy. Israel says it needs the barrier to keep suicide bombers out of its cities.
Tourism to Bethlehem, a mixed Muslim and Christian town, virtually dried up during the second Palestinian uprising, which started in 2000. It is slowly recovering, but residents say intimidating Israeli security doesn't help.
Visitors to Bethlehem -- the West Bank's top tourist attraction -- must clear military security before passing through the barrier. A sign reading "Peace Be With You" hangs from a high concrete wall next to an army watchtower.
Tony Blair, the former British prime minister who is now the international envoy to the Palestinians, spent the night in a hotel in Bethlehem on Tuesday as part of his effort to encourage Western tourists to stay in the city.
Noting the Bible story of Mary and Joseph's flight from Bethlehem with their infant son, Salsaa said: "I was thinking about how Jesus escaped from here 2000 years ago.
"It wouldn't be so easy now."
British NGO Amos Trust said it was selling the nativity scenes online as part of a broader campaign that includes publishing alternative Christmas carols such as "At the Army Checkpoint" to the tune of "In the Bleak Mid Winter".
"We don't want anyone singing 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' this Christmas without people realising what's happening there," Garth Hewitt, director of the Amos Trust, told Reuters.
And what if Palestinian and Israeli negotiators manage to broker a deal on peace? Salsaa has made his "barrier" detachable.
Christian Aid urges Brown to influence Bush on climate change
Posted: Saturday, December 15, 2007, 8:19 (GMT)
Christian Aid has called on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to rescue the Bali climate talks before it is too late, by making a personal appeal to US President Geoge Bush.
With only hours left to agree on an effective ‘roadmap’ for tackling the world’s climate emergency, Christian Aid has written to Gordon Brown asking him to immediately telephone George Bush and use Britain’s influence with the President.
The Bali talks, which are already in overtime, are deadlocked because the US has refuesed to accept the inclusion of numerical targets for cutting rich countries’ greenhouse gas emissions in the final agreement.
The letter to the Prime Minister, from Christian Aid director Daleep Mukarji, states: "Without targets, a Bali roadmap will have no clear destination. In the face of the greatest threat to human development and security, the countries of the world will be left to negotiate without focus.
"Christian Aid has witnessed the impact that climate change is already having on poor people but we have been heartened this week by the willingness of developing nations to play a full part in Bali. Now we need your help.
"The UK has more influence with the US than perhaps anu other country and is an acknowledged world leader on climate change. Please would you call George Bush now and use your powers of reason and persuasion. Ask him not to block the launch of negotiations in Bali. Ask him not to obstruct the inclusion of the range of targets for 2020."
Indonesian Church forced to close to prevent 'social tensions'
by Daniel Blake
Posted: Tuesday, December 11, 2007, 9:01 (GMT)
A Catholic priest in Indonesia has been prevented from celebrating mass by the authorities after a group of Muslims challenged the legal status of Christ’s Peace Church in South Duri, West Jakarta.
The pressure by Muslim extremists led the officials of Tambura Sub-district to ban the activities of the church in a bid to avoid “social tensions”.
Fr Matthew Widyalestari MSC signed an agreement that forced him to end all activities at the church. The priest, however, expressed his desire to celebrate Sunday mass for his 4,000 parishioners who now cannot practice their faith, reports AsiaNews.
Last week, local Catholic leaders met officials from the West Jakarta District and the Tambura Sub-district. The local authorities also insisted on cancelling the Eucharistic function.
Father Widyalestari told AsiaNews the reason given by the officials was “public order” and fear of sectarian clashes.
Father Widyalestari said, “The faithful want their spiritual needs fulfilled; they feel like they are on a most wanted list, forced underground to find another place to practice their religion.”
Father Lestari MSC said, “Technically it is difficult to find the right place. Some parishioners go to mass at the Provincial House of the Missionary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but that place is not big enough for thousands of people,” reports AsiaNews.
The Christ’s Peace Parish has used the same building since 1968 and has about 4,000 parishioners.
A few weeks ago a Muslim group called the Cooperation Forum for Mosque, Prayer Rooms and Koranic Group of Duri Selatan, challenged the legal status of the church, saying that they do not have the correct permits needed for places of worship.
The Interior and Religious Affairs Ministries issued a joint decree in 2005 which was meant to end violence against “illegal churches” and also make it easier to get building permits.
Despite this, attacks have not stopped and Christians often are not protected and are at risk of having to cease practicing their faith.
China Arrests 270 Underground Protestant Pastors
by Michelle Vu, Christian Today US Correspondent
Posted: Friday, December 14, 2007, 12:27 (GMT)
Chinese police forces recently arrested 270 Protestant house church pastors in an eastern province, reported a Chinese Christian human rights organisation.
The pastors were gathering in the district of Hedeng in Shandong province when about 50 policemen from 12 different towns raided the meeting place, blindfolded and handcuffed attendees and took them to the local police station for questioning, according to US-based China Aid Association (CAA.).
CAA’s president, the Rev Bob Fu, told Christian Today that 70 Christian leaders remain in prison as of Thursday morning.
The massive arrest took place last Friday at around 1:30pm local time when the clergymen were gathering for a Bible study, according to AsiaNews. A police squad arrived in armored trucks and arrested participants for engaging in an “illegal religious gathering”, recalled an eyewitness, who noted the raid was “violent and swift”.
Some 120 pastors had been released early on after paying 300 yuan (US $40) as an “interrogation tax”. according to AsiaNews.
“Obviously, the detention of these pastors illustrates China’s insincerity in moving toward a culture of religious tolerance,” commented Washington-based Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins in a statement Tuesday.
“While the regime tries to project itself as progressive, the reality is that China has no intention of abiding by international law or abandoning its hostility to Western religious ideals,” noted Perkins, an influential conservative Christian leader.
FRC issued a letter on Tuesday to the US State Department urging Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to broker the remaining pastors’ quick release.
China allows protestant Christian groups to exist but requires them to register with the government-sanctioned Three Self-Patriotic Movement. There are about 10 million members within the state-approved Protestant church group.
According to CAA, there is a campaign to “normalise” underground Protestant churches by giving them two options: either join the Three Self-Patriotic Movement or be oppressed by government forces.
House church worshippers refuse to join the TSPM because they argue God should be the head of the church and not the government. They also believe that requiring government-approval to hold religious gatherings is a violation of their religious freedom.
China has been under greater scrutiny by the international community for its human rights conduct as it prepares to host the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Although it claims to be a country of religious tolerance, human rights groups have reported a secret campaign to crackdown on unregistered church activities before the Olympics.
Many house church pastors in Beijing have been visited and “requested” to leave the city before the Games, according to Open Doors’ contacts in China.
“These crackdowns on Chinese house church believers and others is not unexpected as the communist government of China tries to put its best foot forward to the world in preparing for the Olympics,” commented Dr Carl Moeller, president and CEO of Open Doors USA – a Christian persecution watchdog.
In a widely publicised event, over 100 foreign missionaries were expelled from China and some even blacklisted earlier this summer. The massive expulsion was the largest of its kind since 1954 after the communist government took power in 1949.
Some US human rights groups have urged a boycott of the Beijing Olympics if China does not improve its human rights record before the Games.
China has an underground Christian population estimated to be as high as 100 million, although experts are quick to point out the difficulty in obtaining the real count.
WEA official to visit Iraqi refugees to offer comfort
by Szeleng Chan, Christian Today Australia Correspondent
Posted: Saturday, December 15, 2007, 16:25 (GMT)
The executive director of the religious liberty arm of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), Johan Candelin, is flying to Turkey to deliver Christmas gifts and comfort Christians who have fled from Iraq.
Mr Candelin acknowledged that going alone meant that the challenge was huge but explained to the Mission Network News (MNN) that he was determined to visit Iraq in order to comfort the refugees.
"I'm going to Turkey to bring Christmas gifts and help to the Christian refugees that have left Iraq. The challenge is huge, but it's better to do a little than to do nothing,” he said.
It is "unfortunate" that Iraq is becoming a totally Muslim country, Mr Candelin said, prompting Christians to flee from the intimidation and persecution they face on a daily basis while living there.
The will assist up to 400 Iraqis during his brief trip.
“So that's why I'm going there - to comfort them, to share the Gospel about the birth of Jesus Christ and bring them some food and toys for the children," he added.
He encouraged other Christians to pray for his visit, and, if possible, to offer financial aid.
"The least you can do is the most you can do, and that is to pray. But also, if you want to give a financial gift at Christmas, that will be very much appreciated," he said.

Nandigram college students receiving threats
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: alashchandrabiswas@gmail.com">palashchandrabiswas@gmail.com

Students of a college in Nandigram on Saturday told a delegation sent by AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi that they were receiving threats allegedly from CPI(M)'s student wing and would be forced to take up arms if this did not stop.
Chhatra Parishad President Sourabh Chakrabarty, who was part of the 15-member team led by Observer Anand Pandey, told newsmen that the students of the college would be forced to take up arms if the threats from political rivals did not cease.
He said a girl student had been threatened with rape and murder and the general secretary of Chhatra Parishad, frontal wing of Congress, in the college had been asked to resign or be killed.
The girl student lodged a complaint with the police during the day naming a SFI leader.
East Midnapur Superintendent of Police Satyeswar Panda said the police had received the complaint and was looking into it.
Nandigram says 'No!' to Dow's chemical hub
By Stevan Kirschbaum
Nandigram, West Bengal, India
Published Dec 14, 2007 11:51 PM
For 11 months the people’s movement of Nandigram has defied the full power of the Indian state, military, police and armed death squads in a struggle to halt a planned “chemical hub” that would destroy their district.
Women tell reporters who accompanied
IAC delegation about attacks on
Nandigram.
Nandigram comprises 38 villages in the East Midnapore district of West Bengal, located 60 miles southwest of Kolkata (formerly called Calcutta). Its population of 250,000 consists mostly of peasant farmers, laborers and fishers.
The people of Nandigram trace their history back nearly 2,000 years. They take great pride in their heritage of fighting to defend their land. One village is named Pichabani—“We shall not step back”—in memory of their successful struggle in 1942 to drive the British colonialists out of the area.
In December 2006, the people of Nandigram were given notice that nearly one quarter of their land would be seized and 70,000 people be evicted from their homes. Some 127 primary schools, four secondary schools, three high schools, 112 temples, 42 masjids and countless houses, markets, shops and sacred burial grounds were to be destroyed and the land given to the Salim Indonesia group—a real estate “developer.”
Mother and children in front of
burned-out home..
WW photos: Sara Flounders
Salim is part of a growing number of dirty middlemen who develop the infrastructure—roads, bridges and so on—to literally pave the way for corporate special economic zones. In Nandigram the SEZ was to be a chemical hub led by Dow Chemical, infamous for the development of napalm used against the Vietnamese people.
Dow is also hated in India since it bought up Union Carbide. On the night of Dec. 3, 1984, a pesticide plant of Union Carbide released 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas in the city of Bhopal, killing upwards of 5,000 people. The disaster is ranked as one of the world’s worst industrial catastrophes due to negligence.
The people of Nandigram are also aware of the fate of Singur, a nearby area where lands were taken away and the peasants brutalized to make way for the Tata Small automobile project. They were determined not to accept a similar fate.
They immediately organized to fight back. On Jan. 3 of this year, 15,000 people assembled at the village governing office to protest. Police opened fire and many were injured. Three days later, over 50,000 people gathered and announced the formation of the Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC)—Committee Against Land Grabbing and Eviction. This highly disciplined, representative body has led the struggle. The next day, state authorities fired into a crowd of protesters, killing three, including a 14-year-old boy.
The people then escalated to direct action in defense of their land. For the next three months, house-by-house and village-by-village, BUPC organized to establish effective people’s power. Roads were dug up, bridges blocked and barricades set up to defend Nandigram by any means necessary. By March 2007 the people had effective control of Nandigram and the state could not move forward on the SEZ.
It was at this point that the state unleashed a vicious terror campaign.
On March 14, in the village of Gokul Nagar, police, soldiers and armed civilian thugs fired into a crowd of protesters who were worshipping to a goddess to save their homes. State forces employed the most cruel and savage of tactics, killing at least 14 and injuring hundreds with beatings and shootings. Rape was an organized police tactic, with hundreds of documented cases of gang rapes. Many people were “disappeared.”
But the people would not be defeated. They regrouped, reorganized and continued to hold Nandigram. News of their inspiring battle spread and they received solidarity and support from labor unionists, social justice activists, the urban poor from Kolkata and beyond, cultural workers and actors. All came to lend their support.
As part of the campaign to inflict maximum punishment and also cover up their atrocities against the people, state authorities attempted to deny them medical care and falsified the medical documentation of deaths, injuries and treatment. A courageous group of doctors and medical workers, the Medical Service Center, nevertheless went to Nandigram to set up a people’s clinic. They ministered to the people’s medical needs and have been steadfast advocates for their rights.
The MSC has produced a documented, detailed report on the deaths and injuries—Health Spectra, Vol. 17, Special Nandigram Issue. This horrifying catalog of atrocities is available through msc_cc@rediffmail.com. (The International Action Center has posted this video on YouTube—type in “Nandigram.”)
Unable to go forward with its plans, the government announced it would scrap the SEZ. The people’s movement, however, vowed to remain vigilant. Faced with a full-scale state coverup, the movement demanded justice, a full inquiry into the state’s atrocities, prosecution of those responsible for heinous crimes, and reparations and restitution for damages.
The breadth of the solidarity movement forced the Kolkata High Court to take up the case, but it remained silent on its findings for months.
On Nov. 6 and 12, 2007, the government unleashed yet another terrible assault on Nandigram. Nearly 100 people were killed, 652 houses were ransacked, 119 homes were burned to the ground, 9,205 people were left homeless and more than 200 rapes were reported. Many people are missing to this day. Villagers state that they witnessed government forces and their paid thugs carrying away bodies to be burned in the nearby Janani brick field, in the town of Kahejuree.
On Dec. 6, authorities discovered the charred bone and skull remains of bodies believed to be those killed in November. Notwithstanding all these odds, the people refuse to give in and continue to return to their burned-out homes, staying with neighbors and fashioning makeshift tents.
Solidarity campaign escalates
The movement in India, and in Kolkata in particular, has organized exemplary solidarity. On Nov. 14, a massive solidarity protest of 100,000 people took to the streets of Kolkata in support of Nandigram. Political activists, jurists, trade unionists, professors, “Bollywood” directors and actors, college students, youth workers, environmentalists and doctors are raising one voice to demand justice for Nandigram and the truth about the state’s criminal actions.
On Nov. 16, the High Court finally released its findings declaring that the state’s actions in Nandigram were “unconstitutional.” However, instead of taking action against those responsible, the court ordered further investigation.
Now the press are carrying daily stories that support the claims of the BUPC and the people of Nandigram. Witnesses have come forward with video and still photos of the rapes committed. (The Statesman, Dec. 1) Missing bodies have been discovered. (Press Trust of India, Dec. 7) Finally a few of the thugs have been charged and taken into custody. However, 10 of these thugs had earlier been picked up and quickly released without charge by the state authorities.
Nandigram has now entered the vocabulary of class struggle in India. The Dec. 1 Hindustan Times carried an article headlined “Nandigram re-run alleged in Orissa.” The article refers to the government’s campaign in another district to browbeat protesters into submission as “the Nandigram strategy.” But the business pages of the Indian press are filled with panicky articles assuring future imperialist SEZ investors that India is safe and that Nandigram is an isolated case.
Global imperialism’s favorite tactic
A “special economic zone” is global imperialism’s model of super-exploitation at its most severe. In different countries the name changes—free enterprise zones, maquiladoras, S