'Direct support to genocide': IISc's India-Israel business meet to track defence, cybersecurity cooperation

By A Representative

An online petition endorsed by hundreds of scholars, activists and professionals across the world has asked Prof Govindan Rangarajan, director, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, to stop the India Israel Business Summit proposed to be held on 23rd September, "and not allow the use of the IISc as a platform to legitimise genocide and colonialism."

Expressing deep concern that the IISc, one of the topmost Indian institutes, is sponsoring and hosting the summit despite the fact that Israel is currently engaged in "a brutal war" in which more than 41,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children", the petition quotes a Lancet report as suggesting that "the true casualties might be four times higher, which would amount to about 10% of Gaza's total population."

It asserts, "Israel has destroyed every University in Gaza. It has also destroyed healthcare facilities, leading to the resurgence of diseases such as polio. The World Food Agency estimates that 96% of Gazans are facing food insecurity."

"Alongside", it adds, "Israel has also launched brutal raids on the West Bank and just this last week, Israel engaged in terrorist attacks in Lebanon by remotely detonating electronic devices, many of which were in civilian areas."

The petition notes, "The International Court of Justice recently ruled that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories violated international law, and the UN General Assembly has recently passed a resolution with an overwhelming majority urging an end to this occupation".

It points out, "We also witness the world academic community and various universities divesting from Israel due to students and faculty members coming out in solidarity with Palestine."

"In this situation", the petition emphasises, "it is unconscionable for IISc to encourage collaborations between India and Israel", underlining, "We are especially concerned that one of the planned tracks of discussion is in defence and cybersecurity (photo). Such cooperation would amount to direct support for Israel's genocide in Palestine and its aggressive actions against its neighbours."

Arrival of USS Lincoln: A ‘leisure trip’ to Thailand or a neo-colonial move to commodify women?

By Benyasiri Eimviriyapong The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) for a ‘leisure trip’ in Thailand before returning to its campaign of destruction against the people of West Asia demands immediate interrogation and opposition. For us Thai people, and those in sites of American plunder across the globe, this a rattling of the US’ cold war colonial chains on its most loyal lap dog, while conducting a war of aggression in Iran and the ongoing genocide in Palestine. In allowing the USS Lincoln to dock, the Thai ruling elites are once again facilitating a system of imperial violence that extends far beyond Southeast Asian borders, a system which in our case, is predicated on sexual violence and femicide.

Global financial institutions 'ignored' climate warnings in Nepal’s hydropower disaster: SANDRP probe

Counterview News A catastrophic flood disaster across Nepal’s Himalayan river valleys has triggered urgent international scrutiny over the role of multilateral lenders and development finance institutions. According to an extensive investigation published by the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), international financiers—including the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and the Export-Import Bank of China —pushed forward major hydropower projects in disaster-prone valleys despite documented warnings, recurring historical floods, and unheeded safety recommendations.

Pilgrimage or pollution? The waste crisis of Indian faith

By Raj Kumar Sinha* In today's times, there are certain issues that are constantly talked about and discussed, yet no visible impact seems to be made. Beyond water, soil, and pollution, one crisis that continues to be overlooked is waste. Like other life-threatening problems, waste too is gradually moving toward burying and obliterating us. After the Kanwar Yatra in Haridwar, approximately 8,000 tonnes of waste were left behind on the riverbanks, including bottles filled with urine.

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