VICTORY

NDP says it has a pharmacare deal with Liberals. Here’s what it will cover

Story by Sean Boynton and David Baxter • 

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh speaks at a health-care rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. The Liberals and the NDP pharmacare negotiations are on a knife's edge, and the main point of contention is the number of drugs they plan to start with. 

THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle© PD, RJB

Global News

Duration 1:57

NDP reaches national pharmacare deal with Liberals. 

Here’s what it will cover

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The NDP has reached a deal with the Liberal government to introduce the first piece of a national pharmacare program that includes coverage for birth control and diabetes medication, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Friday.

The deal is a critical piece of the supply-and-confidence agreement between the two parties and comes ahead of a March 1 deadline to table legislation. News of the deal was first reported by The Canadian Press.

"Pharmacare means that you will get the medicine you need with your health card, not a credit card," Singh said on social media while touting the deal.

"Now, millions of Canadians will save money and have better health."

An NDP source speaking on background to Global News said the deal "satisfies our end" of the supply-and-confidence pact.

Some final details may still be worked out over the weekend, but the source said the NDP expects the legislation will be tabled by the March 1 deadline.

A government source confirmed the deal had been reached and said more details would be announced next week.

The NDP says the deal includes full coverage for contraceptives close to what British Columbia covers, which includes birth control pills, IUDs and emergency contraception.

It also includes insulin for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, as well as additional diabetes drugs. The focus is on covering generics where there is an option to do so, the NDP source said. Ozempic, a new drug for diabetes that has been used off-label as a weight-loss drug, will not be covered under the agreement.

The deal also puts forward a fund to help provinces cover the cost of insulin pumps for diabetes patients, which the NDP wanted maximum coverage for, the source said.

All provinces cover 80 per cent of out-of-pocket costs for youth with Type 1 diabetes, but the coverage for adults with Type 2 diabetes varies widely — from zero per cent in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Alberta to a high of 62 per cent in Ontario, data from Diabetes Canada show.

It means that depending on their location households can be out thousands of dollars a year for diabetes medicines and supplies.

Ontario also provides many contraceptives for people under the age of 25 who don't have private insurance. Manitoba's government has already pledged to do so as well.

Abortion pills, which are different than morning-after pills, are already offered for free at pharmacies across Canada.

The New Democrats said birth control coverage will help millions of women and gender-diverse people

Global News

NDP’s Singh threatens ‘consequences’ if Liberals do not meet pharmacare deadline

Duration 1:56   View on Watch

The first deadline to reach a deal was pushed back in December, with both parties agreeing to extend it to March 1.

Singh had suggested failing to meet the March 1 deadline would result in "consequences" for the Liberals, but stopped short of explicitly saying his party would withdraw its support under the supply-and-confidence agreement. Such a move would potentially trigger an election, which the pact ensures won't be held until 2025.

Liberals had previously cited concerns about the potential costs of pharmacare, even as the NDP pushed for the program to include more right off the bat.

If the federal government moves towards fully implementing national pharmacare, that wider program is expected to cost roughly $40 billion a year in total, the parliamentary budget officer said in a report last fall. The report said the incremental cost to the public sector, including federal and provincial governments, would rise from $11.2 billion in 2024-25 to $13.4 billion in 2027-28.

However, such a program was also estimated to lead to cost savings on drug expenditures of $1.4 billion in 2024-25, with that figure increasing to $2.2 billion by 2027-28.

As the deadline to reach a deal drew nearer, Holland said the Liberals made it clear an initial pharmacare program could not be "massively expensive."

A source close to the pharmacare talks told the Canadian Press the Liberals made it clear they had about $800 million to spend for an initial program.

The Liberals campaigned on a promise to implement a national pharmacare program in the 2019 election, but made no such pledge when they went back to the polls in 2021.

—With files from the Canadian Press

SAVED THEIR ASS

Trudeau government's future looks safer after NDP says deal struck on drug costs


Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on during a housing announcement in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada February 20, 2024. 

Jennifer Gauthier/File Photo© Thomson Reuters

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The chances of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau staying in office until an election next year appeared more certain on Friday after a political party that is keeping him in power said it would continue backing him.

Trudeau's ruling Liberals only have a minority of seats in the House of Commons elected chamber and need the support of other parties. In late 2021, the left-leaning New Democrats (NDP) agreed to back Trudeau in return for legislation to set up a nationwide system to help people pay for medication.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, who had in recent weeks complained the Liberals were dragging their feet and mused about withdrawing his automatic support for Trudeau, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp that the two parties had now reached a deal on "pharmacare."

"We've secured something really important, I would say really historic for Canadians," he said.

Trudeau's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A government source confirmed that terms of an agreement had been reached with the NDP and that details would be made public next week.

Continued NDP support means Trudeau would be able to govern until the next election, which by law must be held at some point in October 2025.

A string of recent opinion polls show both the Liberals and NDP would be badly defeated by the right-of-center Conservatives amid voter fatigue with Trudeau, who has been in office since November 2015.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Sandra Maler)

 

Barclays must face US shareholder lawsuit over $17.7 billion debt sale blunder

Workers are seen in at Barclays bank offices in the Canary Wharf financial district in London, Britain,

REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo© Thomson Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) -A U.S. judge said Barclays must face part of a proposed class action by shareholders over the British bank's sale of $17.7 billion more debt than regulators had allowed.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla in Manhattan said shareholders adequately alleged that Barclays' failure to disclose the absence of internal controls to catch the error was a material omission of fact.

She also said shareholders can try to prove that Barclays and several officials, including former Chief Executive Jes Staley, were "actionably reckless" in reassuring them that the bank was complying with federal securities laws.

The judge nonetheless said the shareholders could not pursue a securities fraud claim over statements that Barclays made after the overissuances were discovered.

Barclays did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Lawyers for the shareholders did not immediately respond to similar requests.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

Amazon pays $1.9m to exploited workers in Saudi Arabia

All of the 54 workers from Nepal interviewed for the investigation said that recruiting firms had required them to pay stiff fees to get placed at jobs at Amazon warehouses in Saudi Arabia. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters© Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Amazon has paid $1.9m to hundreds of current and former workers in the wake of revelations by the Guardian and other media partners about abuses against migrants who labored at the online retail giant’s warehouses in Saudi Arabia.

Amazon said in a statement that it paid reimbursements to more than 700 migrant workers who had been required to pay recruitment fees and other costs to secure work at the company’s distribution centers in Saudi Arabia. In announcing this action, the company said it’s committed to “fundamental human rights and the dignity of people connected to our business around the world”. Amazon said last fall that it employed nearly 1,500 permanent and seasonal workers in Saudi Arabia.

These payments came after the recruitment fees and other unfair practices were exposed by a joint media investigation by the Guardian, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), NBC News and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism.

All of the 54 workers from Nepal interviewed for the media partners’ investigation said that recruiting firms in their home country had required them to pay stiff fees – ranging from roughly $830 to $2,300 – as a condition for getting placed in jobs at Amazon warehouses in Saudi Arabia. Those amounts far exceed what’s allowed by Nepal’s government and run afoul of American and UN standards.

Forty-eight of the Nepali workers added that recruiters misled them about the terms of their employment, falsely promising they would work directly for Amazon. Instead, these workers said, they ended up working for Saudi labor supply firms that placed them in short-term contract jobs at Amazon warehouses in the Arab kingdom, then siphoned away much of their wages and in some cases demanded thousands of dollars in exit fees to allow them to go back to Nepal.

Related video: Amazon workers protest over pay in Coventry, UK (ViralPress)

The human rights group Amnesty International also issued a report on these issues. Amazon has said that its own internal monitoring system identified these problems before it became aware of the separate investigations by Amnesty and the media partners.

The Guardian and ICIJ recently talked to 40 workers from Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan who said they had received payments from Amazon or were expecting to get them soon. An Amazon spokesperson confirmed that workers from those countries had received payments and said workers from additional countries had also received reimbursements for their recruitment fees, but declined to name those countries.

“I never expected that I would get the money back,” said Bishnuman Shrestha, a Nepali laborer who worked for Amazon in Saudi Arabia from 2021 to early 2024. “I worked in Qatar and other countries before but never heard of workers getting their recruitment fees back. I never thought about it even in my dream.”

He said he received more than $1,800, which covered the amount he paid as a recruiting fee, plus interest. He told a reporter for the Guardian and ICIJ: “Keep doing this for other workers as well. It means a lot.”

The average reimbursement to the workers appears to exceed $2,500.

In its statement, Amazon said it had engaged a labor rights consulting firm to “conduct a focused assessment of foreign migrant worker issues” at two Amazon facilities in Saudi Arabia. The review, Amazon said, found multiple violations of its labor standards. Along with charging of recruitment fees, these included “substandard living accommodations, contract and wage irregularities, and delays in the resolution of worker complaints”.

The company said it has strengthened its internal controls relating to its work with labor supply firms and other “third-party” vendors, providing additional training to labor vendors and clarifying its expectations for these partner firms.

Amazon said it has also improved its communications mechanism that allows contract workers to share complaints with Amazon’s management and ensured that a Saudi labor supply firm that had provided contract laborers from Nepal was “making significant progress to improve workers’ housing”.

White House, tribal leaders hail 'historic' deal to restore salmon runs in Pacific Northwest

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration, leaders of four Columbia River Basin tribes and the governors of Oregon and Washington celebrated on Friday as they signed papers formally launching a $1 billion plan to help recover depleted salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest.

The plan, announced in December, stopped short of calling for the removal of four controversial dams on the Snake River, as some environmental groups and tribal leaders have urged. But officials said it would boost clean energy production and help offset hydropower, transportation and other benefits provided by the dams should Congress ever agree to breach them.

The plan brokered by the Biden administration pauses long-running litigation over federal dam operations and represents the most significant step yet toward eventually taking the four Snake River dams down. The plan will strengthen tribal clean energy projects and provide other benefits for tribes and other communities that depend on the Columbia Basin for agriculture, energy, recreation and transportation, the White House said.

“Since time immemorial, the strength of the Yakama Nation and its people have come from the Columbia River, and from the fish, game, roots and berries it nourishes,'' Yakama Nation Chairman Gerald Lewis said at a White House ceremony.

“The Yakama Nation will always fight to protect and restore the salmon because, without the salmon, we cannot maintain the health of our people or our way of life,'' Lewis said, adding that Columbia Basin salmon are dying from the impacts of human development.

“Our fishers have empty nets and their homes have empty tables because historically the federal government has not done enough to mitigate these impacts,'' he said. “We need a lot more clean energy, but we need to do development in a way that is socially just.''

Lewis was among four tribal leaders who spoke at the hourlong ceremony at the White House complex, along with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and an array of federal officials.

The agreement, formally known as the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, “deserves to be celebrated,'' said Jonathan W. Smith, chairman of the Confederated Tribes ​of the Warm Springs Reservation.

The settlement “takes the interests of all the stakeholders in the Columbia Basin into account,'' he said. “It lays out a pathway to restore salmon and steelhead to healthy and abundant levels and moves forward with the necessary green energy transition in a socially just and equitable way."

Corinne Sams of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation called the signing ceremony a historic moment, not just for the tribes, but also for the U.S. government “and all Americans in the Pacific Northwest. My heart is big today.”

The Columbia River Basin, an area roughly the size of Texas, was once the world’s greatest salmon-producing river system, with at least 16 stocks of salmon and steelhead. Today, four are extinct and seven are listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Dams are a main culprit behind the salmon’s decline, and federal fisheries scientists have concluded that breaching the dams in eastern Washington on the Snake River, the largest tributary of the Columbia, would be the best hope for recovering them, providing the fish with access to hundreds of miles of pristine habitat and spawning grounds in Idaho.

Conservation groups sued the federal government more than two decades ago in an effort to save the fish. They have argued that the continued operation of the dams violates the Endangered Species Act as well as treaties dating to the mid-19th century ensuring the tribes’ right to harvest fish.

Friday's celebration did not include congressional Republicans who oppose dam breaching and have vowed to block it.

Dams along the Columbia-Snake River system provide more than one-third of all hydropower capacity in the United States, said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Washington Republican who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In Washington state, hydropower accounts for 70% of electricity consumed.

The Snake River dams “helped transform Eastern Washington into one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world,'' including 40% of America’s wheat, Rodgers said in a statement.

She denounced “secret negotiations” led by White House senior adviser and climate envoy John Podesta, saying he and other officials “worked behind closed doors with a select group of radical environmentalists to develop a secret package of actions and commitments'' that advance ”efforts to remove the four Lower Snake River dams.''

Biden officials "ignored the concerns of people who live in the Pacific Northwest and who would be significantly impacted if these dams were breached,'' Rodgers said.

Podesta and other speakers at the White House ceremony looked past those concerns, with few even mentioning the dams.

"President Biden understands that the Columbia River is the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, for its culture, for its economy and for its people,'' said Brenda Mallory, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

“The historic agreement is charting a new and exciting path to restore the river, provide for clean energy and live up to our responsibilities and obligations to tribal nations,'' Mallory said. "I’m confident we will secure the vision ... of securing a restored Columbia River Basin, one that is teeming with wild fish, prosperous to tribal nations, (with) affordable clean energy, a strong agricultural economy and an upgraded transportation and recreation system.''

Matthew Daly, The Associated Press

Three Developments In Mongolia Increasingly Worry Moscow – Analysis

 February 24, 2024  

By Paul Goble

On February 12, former Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbergdorj took to X (formerly Twitter) in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s propagandistic excuses for his “special military operation” against Ukraine. During a recent interview with US television personality Tucker Carlson, Putin asserted that Russia has a historical right to Ukrainian territory because it was once part of the Russian Empire.

In mocking Putin’s musings, Elbergdorj posted maps of the Mongol Empire and stated, “Don’t worry. We are a peaceful and free nation.” He implied that, by Putin’s reasoning, Mongolia would have a claim to Russia’s southern region. Luckily, Ulaanbaatar, unlike Moscow, respects modern borders and international sovereignty (Twitter.com/elbegdorj, February 12).

Despite Mongolia’s strategic location between China and Russia and its recent efforts to pursue a more independent approach to foreign and domestic policy, the lowly populated and landlocked country seldom receives much attention in Moscow. Russia generally looks at Mongolia through the lens of the “Mongol Yoke” of medieval times. As a result, the Kremlin takes notice when Mongolian leaders make remarks, sometimes jokingly and sometimes not, at Moscow’s expense that suggest an interest in reviving the empire of the Golden Horde (Bitnews Today, February 13; DKN News, December 15, 2022;Window on Eurasia, May 20, 2023).

Three recent developments have prompted Russian officials to focus more closely on Mongolia. These are the flight of Russian citizens from Siberia and the Far East to Mongolia to avoid being forced to fight in Ukraine, growing interest in the three Buddhist nations of the Russian Federation in expanding ties with Mongolia, and Ulaanbaatar’s plans to construct hydroelectric dams that will limit the flow of water to Lake Baikal and threaten its survival. Russia’s renewed attention to Mongolia comes at a time when Moscow is growing concerned that Ulaanbaatar is taking these steps to build support with China, a country the Putin regime wants to retain as Russia’s primary ally (see EDM, November 8, 2023).

Since the Soviet Union’s collapse, Mongolia has pursued increasingly independent policies at home and abroad, occasionally drawing fire from Moscow (see EDM, June 20, 2019). Until recently, however, the Kremlin appears to have assumed that it has sufficient leverage to prevent the Mongolian government from taking any action that would directly threaten Russian interests. Although that is changing, growing alarm in the Kremlin has yet to lead to a substantive shift in policy given Moscow’s focus on Ukraine.

The flight of Russians from Siberia and the Russian Far East into Mongolia is of particular concern to Moscow. The exodus began at the start of Putin’s expanded invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as the population sought to avoid conscription. Flights from the major Russian cities and the country’s western regions have been far more extensive and have attracted more attention. Still, the Russian flights into Mongolia may matter even more. While the numbers fleeing from east of the Urals are small—perhaps no more than a few thousand—they portend a serious demographic shift. This departure threatens Moscow’s ability to control the enormous but underpopulated region of Russia that China and others have an interest in.

Additionally, the exodus involves Buryats and Tuvans, two Buddhist nations where anti-war attitudes are especially strong and secessionist attitudes are growing. Unsurprisingly, some in Moscow are concerned that this new diaspora in Mongolia could disrupt Russia’s influence (Svobodny idel-ural, April 11, 2022; see EDM July 14, 2022, December 23, 2023; Siber.Realii, September 2, 2022; Radio Free Liberty/Radio Europe, September 25, 2022).

Moscow is also concerned with the specter of pan-Mongolism emanating from this exodus. Recently, Moscow directed Russia’s three Buddhist republics—Buryatia, Tuva, and Kalmykia—to form special groups to combat any talk or action intended to promote a partnership with Buddhist Mongolia (Baikal Journal, January 6; see EDM, January 18). Moscow has good reason to fear such a development. These nations are increasingly hostile to the Kremlin’s actions and increasingly see Mongolia as a defender and ally. Some believe Ulaanbaatar can be persuaded to issue special passports to allow them to move to Mongolia more easily. That has led some observers to suggest that, of the three, Tuva may become the first republic to secede from Russia (Baikal Journal, June 20, 2023; Gordon, June 23, 2023;Idel.Realii, January 25).

For the time being, Moscow remains in control of all three republics. Always sensitive to any threat to the country’s territorial integrity, Russia’s intelligence services and force structures are already taking action against the looming threat (cf. Idel.Realii, January 25; Window on Eurasia, February 10). Some of this talk and action is self-serving behavior on the part of Russia’s siloviki, people who work for the state in any capacity that can use force. After all, the best way to boost their influence and funding is to posit the existence of such threats. Just as there typically is no smoke without some fire, however, the Kremlin has reason for concern, albeit not yet for genuine action.

Mongolia’s actions around Lake Baikal have  generated further concern and some anger in Moscow. To address its energy crisis, Ulaanbaatar decided to build hydroelectric dams on rivers that flow across the Russian border and feed Lake Baikal, a body of water with immediate symbolic and fundamental importance to Russia. Adding insult to injury, Beijing is funding these projects, though it is aware of Moscow’s opposition. Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, head of the Institute on Water Problems at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said last week that Mongolia’s plans represent “a catastrophe for Baikal” and must be a matter of great concern to all Russians (Babr24, February 14).

The Mongolian project will lower water levels in the lake and threaten its fragile ecosystems, as well as the people living in its watershed. Danilov-Danilyan fails to address an even more serious concern for the Kremlin: the impact of this development on political relations between Moscow and Beijing, on the one hand, and Mongolia and China, on the other. It is unlikely that Putin is worried about Lake Baikal. He is undoubtedly more focused on the future of his relationship with China. The developments in Mongolia appear set to trigger new tensions between Moscow and Beijing, which may be further exacerbated by the Kremlin’s efforts to maintain its influence over Ulaanbaatar.

This article was published at The Jamestown Foundation’s Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 21 Issue: 28

Paul Goble is a longtime specialist on ethnic and religious questions in Eurasia. Most recently, he was director of research and publications at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy. Earlier, he served as vice dean for the social sciences and humanities at Audentes University in Tallinn and a senior research associate at the EuroCollege of the University of Tartu in Estonia. He has served in various capacities in the U.S. State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency and the International Broadcasting Bureau as well as at the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Mr. Goble maintains the Window on Eurasia blog and can be contacted directly at paul.goble@gmail.com .

Ralph Nader: What Mass Media Needs To Cover Regarding Israel/Gaza Conflict – OpEd

February 24, 2024
By Ralph Nader


Last October 27, I suggested subjects the mainstream media needed to cover relating to the saturation bombing of Gaza and its defenseless civilian families and infrastructure. Looking at these topics now, four months later, despite massive reporting, the attention to these subjects is still thin and more deserving of reporting than ever.

1. How did Hamas, with tiny Gaza surrounded by a 17-year Israeli blockade, subjected to unparalleled electronic surveillance, with spies and informants, and augmented by an overwhelming air, sea and land military presence, manage to get the weapons and associated technology for their October 7th surprise raid? Readers still do not know how and from where these weapons entered Gaza year after year.

2. What is the connection between the stunning failure of the Israeli government to protect its people on the border and the policy of P.M. Netanyahu? Recall the New York Times (October 22, 2023) article by prominent journalist, Roger Cohen, to wit: “All means were good to undo the notion of Palestinian statehood. In 2019, Mr. Netanyahu told a meeting of his center-right Likud party: ‘Those who want to thwart the possibility of a Palestinian state should support the strengthening of Hamas and the transfer of money to Hamas. This is part of our strategy.’” (Note: Israel and the U.S. fostered the rise of Islamic Hamas in 1987 to counter the secular Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)). Readers still need more information about the context of Netanyahu’s declared support for Hamas over the years and his connection to the buildup of Hamas funding and weaponry.

3. Why is Congress preparing to appropriate over $14 billion to Israel in military and other aid without any public hearings and without any demonstrated fiscal need by Israel, a prosperous economic, technological and military superpower with a social safety net superior to that of the U.S.? USDA just reported over 44 million Americans struggled with hunger in 2022. This, in the midst of a childcare crisis. Should U.S. taxpayers be expected to pay for Netanyahu’s colossal intelligence/military collapse? As an elderly Holocaust survivor told the New York Times “It should never have happened” in the first place.

4. Why hasn’t the media reported on President Biden’s statement that the Gaza Health Ministry’s body count (now over 7000 fatalities) is exaggerated? Indications, however, are that it is a large undercount by Hamas to minimize its inability to protect its people. Israel has fired over 8,000 powerful precision munitions and bombs into Gaza so far. These have struck many thousands of inhabited buildings – homes, apartments buildings, over 120 health facilities, ambulances, crowded markets, fleeing refugees, schools, water and sewage systems, and electric networks – implementing Israeli military orders to cut off all food, water, fuel, medicine and electricity to this already impoverished densely packed area the size of Philadelphia. For those not directly slain, the deadly harm caused by no food, water, medicine, medical facilities and fuel will lead to even more deaths and serious injuries.

Note that over three-quarters of Gaza’s population consists of children and women. Soon there will be thousands of babies born to die in the rubble. Other Palestinians will perish from untreated diseases, injuries, dehydration, and from drinking contaminated water. With crumbled sanitation facilities, physicians are fearing a deadly cholera epidemic.

Israel bombed the Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border. Only a tiny trickle of trucks are now allowed there by Israel to carry food and water. Fuel for hospital generators still remains blocked.

The undercount of fatalities/injuries is far greater now. The official figure is about 30,000 lives lost, with hundreds dying every day under the rubble. There is too little media interest in more realistic estimates. Undercounting lessens the pressure on Washington officials’ co-belligerents in the White House to call for a permanent ceasefire.

5. Why can’t Biden even persuade Israel to let 600 desperate Americans out of the Gaza firestorm?

6. Why isn’t the mass media making a bigger issue out of Israel’s long-time practice of blocking journalists from entering Gaza, including European, American and Israeli journalists? The only television crews left are Gazan-residing Al Jazeera reporters. Israeli bombs have already killed 26 journalists in the Gaza Strip since October 7th. Is Israel targeting journalists’ families? The Gaza bureau chief of Al Jazeera, Wael Al-Dahdouh’s family was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday. Israeli commanders now have killed over 100 journalists in addition in some cases to their entire families and continue to block foreign journalists except for a few brief “guided tours” in Israeli armored vehicles.

7. Why isn’t the mainstream U.S. media giving adequate space and voice to groups advocating a ceasefire and humanitarian aid? The message of Israeli peace groups’ peaceful solutions are drowned out by the media’s addiction to interviews with military tacticians. Much time and space are being given to hawks pushing for a war that could flash outside of Gaza big time. Shouldn’t groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace, the Arab-American Institute, Veterans for Peace and associations of clergy have their views and activities reported? Still being underreported are the activities all over the country of the Veterans for Peace and large labor unions demanding a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid.

8. Why is the coverage of the war overlooking the Geneva Conventions, the United Nations Charter and the many provisions of international law that all the parties, including the U.S., have been violating? (See the October 24, 2023 letter to President Biden). Under international law, Biden has made the U.S. an active “co-belligerent,” of the Israeli government’s vocal demolition of the 2.3 million inhabitants in Gaza, who are mostly descendants of Palestinian refugees driven from their homes in 1948. (See, Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide). Coverage has expanded to include the U.S. vetoes on the Security Council and to global reporting on the International Court of Justice proceedings on South Africa’s calling for the Court to address Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

9. What about revealing human-interest stories? For example: How do Israeli F-16 pilots feel about their daily bombing of the completely defenseless Gazan civilian population and its life-sustaining infrastructures? The reporting on the military orders given to Israeli soldiers in Gaza who are slaying indiscriminately thousands of innocents of all ages and snipers attacking people and children in hospitals is inadequate. Why are no Hamas fighters taken as prisoners of war? Is there an order of “take no prisoners” even after capture? What are the courageous Israeli human rights and refuseniks thinking and doing in a climate of serious repression of their views as a result of Netanyahu’s defense collapse on October 7th? The open letter to President Biden on December 13, 2023, by 16 Israeli human rights groups appeared as a paid notice in the New York Times but received very little notice to its clarion call to stop the catastrophe in Gaza. (See the letter here).

10. Where is the media attention on the statements from Israeli military commentators, who, for years have declared high-tech US-backed, nuclear-armed Israel to be more secure than at any time in its history? Israel is reasserting its overwhelming military domination of the Middle East region, fully backed by U.S. militarism. The Israeli government is putting ads in U.S. newspapers wildly exaggerating long-subdued Hamas as an “existential” threat. Without Netanyahu strangely failing to keep the border guarded on October 7, 2023, what followed would not have happened!

Historians remind us that in a grid-locked conflict over time, it is the most powerful party’s responsibility to lead the way to peace.

Establishing a two-state solution has been supported by many Palestinians. All the Arab nations, starting with the Arab League peace proposal in 2002, support this solution as well. It is up to Israel and the U.S., assuming annexation of what is left of Palestine is not Israel’s objective. (See, the March 29, 2002 New York Times article: Mideast Turmoil; Text of the Peace Proposals Backed by the Arab League).

More media attention on this subject matter is much needed.


Ralph Nader is a politician, activist and the author of Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!, a novel. In his career as consumer advocate he founded many organizations including the Center for Study of Responsive Law, the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), the Center for Auto Safety, Public Citizen, Clean Water Action Project, the Disability Rights Center, the Pension Rights Center, the Project for Corporate Responsibility and The Multinational Monitor (a monthly magazine).

INDIA PLAYS BOTH SIDES 

NATO And India: Partners For A Peaceful, Free, And Democratic World – Analysis

February 24, 2024

By Observer Research Foundation
By Krisztian Meszaros

As underlined by Jens Stoltenberg during the Raisina Dialogue 2021, the importance of strengthening NATO’s global partnerships has only grown, not least in the Indo-Pacific region, as we face a more complex and interconnected world. Since then, NATO’s security environment has only become more competitive, dangerous, and unpredictable.

The return of full-scale conflict in Europe and rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region demonstrate that our security is not regional, it is global. Russia’s illegal war of aggression against a sovereign nation, Ukraine, affects all of us who believe in freedom and democracy. China’s increasingly oppressive actions at home and coercive behaviour abroad threaten our security, values, and interests.

India is the world’s largest democracy, a growing economy, and an important global power. As the NATO Secretary General said at Raisina, the time is right to take NATO’s dialogue with India to a new level, to defend our shared values and the rules-based international order.

An inflection point in history

For almost 75 years, NATO has brought together Europe and North America to ensure the collective defence and security of its allies on both sides of the Atlantic, and to promote peace and stability beyond its borders. The Alliance has grown from 12 founding members in 1949 to represent 31, soon 32 nations, and one billion people.

Today, we face the most dangerous security environment since the end of the Second World War. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has shattered decades of peace in Europe. It has also had severe global consequences, unleashing a global food and energy crisis, causing immense environmental and economic damage, and global instability.

Moscow’s bombing campaigns and relentless attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure show a total disregard for human life. Russia’s blatant violations of international law and the United Nations (UN) Charter threaten the entire world. They are a fundamental attack on the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and self-determination that underpin the international order, and ensure international peace and security.

NATO is responding with strength and unity. While NATO is not a party to the conflict, it is significantly enhancing its own deterrence and defence to ensure that the war does not escalate beyond Ukraine’s borders. At the Vilnius Summit in July, Allies agreed to a further fundamental shift in our deterrence and defence, building on a decisive decade of adaptation since Russia illegally annexed Crimea and entered eastern Donbas in 2014. Concretely, this means more troops on high readiness, the most comprehensive and robust defence plans since the Cold War, increased investment in defence, and closer cooperation with the defence industry to increase production for Ukraine’s defences and for ours.

At the same time, NATO Allies are radically stepping up their support to Ukraine in line with the UN Charter, with unprecedented military, financial, and humanitarian assistance. Through NATO, they are also providing essential non-lethal support to help Ukraine sustain its fight for freedom in the short term, and strengthen its security and defence sector for the long term. They have enhanced their political relations through a new NATO-Ukraine Council, where they meet as equals to consult during crises and to take common decisions. At the Vilnius Summit, Allies agreed on a clear vision for Ukraine’s future as a member of NATO. They also agreed to step up their support for other partners facing hostile interference and coercion from Russia, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Moldova.

Security is global, not regional

How we respond to Russia’s war of aggression and blatant violations of international law will define global security for generations to come. If Russian President Vladimir Putin wins in Ukraine, it will send a message to other authoritarian regimes, not least in Beijing, that they can get what they want through force and that makes the world much more dangerous.

NATO does not see China as an adversary. However, China’s stated ambitions and coercive policies, including in the Indo-Pacific region, challenge our interests, security, and values. China is seeking to subvert the rules-based international order, including in the space, cyber, and maritime domains. NATO is concerned about China’s attempts to create dependencies and control critical infrastructure and strategic resources, including in its allied countries. The deepening strategic partnership between Beijing and Moscow, and their attempts to undermine the global order, concern all. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China should use its considerable influence to urge Russia to end the war in Ukraine and refrain from providing lethal aid. As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, this is not an era for war.

Combined with this growing strategic competition, our broader strategic environment is characterised by persistent fragility and recurring shocks. Terrorism is the most direct asymmetric threat to our security, international peace, and prosperity. We also face instability and crises, particularly in NATO’s southern neighbourhood, which has deep roots, and multiple demographic, economic, and political drivers, including the existential challenge of climate change, fragile institutions, health emergencies, and food insecurity. Other threats and challenges to our security are multiplying, from cyber and hybrid attacks to nuclear proliferation, disruptive technologies, and global pandemics.

No country or continent can face these challenges alone. Global challenges require a global response. And that is why NATO is committed to working more closely with partners near and far, including in the Indo-Pacific region.

Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security are closely linked

NATO is adapting to this new security reality, as we have always done. In 2022, NATO leaders adopted a new “Strategic Concept”— it’s a blueprint for responding to a world of growing strategic competition and instability. This Concept reaffirms NATO’s key purpose — ensuring our collective defence. It reiterates NATO’s three core tasks: deterring and defending against all threats, strengthening our ability to manage and prevent crises, and investing in cooperative security together with our partners, including in the Indo-Pacific.

The Indo-Pacific region is home to approximately 65 percent of the global population and some of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies. Europe and the Indo-Pacific account for over 70 percent of global trade and 60 percent of foreign direct investment flows. Many NATO Allies and the European Union (EU) have close ties and presence in the region. Its economies are deeply intertwined, and so is its security. A free and open Indo-Pacific is essential to global prosperity and stability.

The South China Sea is a major transit route for global trade. Taiwan is the most important producer of semiconductors on which modern technologies depend. Any attempt to change the status quo in the South China Sea by force would have devastating economic and security consequences. The region presents other major challenges as well. NATO is deeply concerned about North Korea’s provocative behaviour, including its nuclear activity and ballistic missile programmes, which violate multiple UN Security Council Resolutions and pose a serious risk to regional and global security.

It may be oceans apart, but NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners face the same challenges and share the same values and vision of a free and open rules-based international order. That is why NATO leaders welcomed their counterparts from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea—its partners in the Indo-Pacific region—to the last two NATO Summits in Madrid and Vilnius. We are also strengthening our political and practical cooperation, including in cyber defence, maritime security, and new technologies.

Taking the NATO-India dialogue forward

India is the world’s largest democracy, the fastest-growing major economy, and an important global actor. It is the fifth-largest UN peacekeeping troop contributor, and it takes its role on the world’s centre stage seriously, as was seen during its G20 presidency in 2023. Together, NATO and India represent almost 2.4 billion people—30 percent of the global population.

NATO is and will remain a regional alliance for Europe and North America, but it has a robust network of partners worldwide and fruitful dialogue with countries like India. Despite not having a formal partnership with NATO, over the years, it has continued to engage with India.

NATO is interested in enhancing its dialogue with India to defend our common values and increase our practical and concrete cooperation, while fully respecting India’s foreign policy positions. For NATO, deeper dialogue with India would enrich its existing partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region. By increasing its exchanges with NATO, India would complement the deepening bilateral and multilateral relationships it already has with several NATO Allies and the EU.

NATO and India share the same values—freedom, democracy, sovereignty, territorial integrity, human rights, international law, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. We share a common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. There is huge potential to strengthen cooperation in tackling shared challenges, including authoritarian threats to the rules-based order, terrorism, new technologies, maritime security, cyber defence, and climate change.

Working together, NATO and India can be a powerful force for good, contributing to a peaceful, free, and democratic world.About the author: Krisztian Meszaros is Director for Partnerships and Global Affairs, NATO International Staff

Source: This article was published by Observer Research Foundation

Observer Research Foundation
ORF was established on 5 September 1990 as a private, not for profit, ’think tank’ to influence public policy formulation. The Foundation brought together, for the first time, leading Indian economists and policymakers to present An Agenda for Economic Reforms in India. The idea was to help develop a consensus in favour of economic reforms.

India And Russia Foster Enduring Partnerships – Interview

February 24, 2024 0 Comments

By Kester Kenn Klomegah


As President of the Indian Business Alliance (IBA) and the Founder of The Imperial Tailoring Co., Sammy Kotwani offers comprehensive insights on the evolving dynamics of Indian investment prospects in the Russian Federation. He also discusses, in this interview, aspects of business challenges and roadblocks in the context of geopolitical changes and competition as well as the current economic cooperation between India and Russia. Here are the interview excerpts:

How would you characterize the geopolitical changes on investment prospects for Indians in Russian Federation?

Geopolitical changes have significantly influenced investment prospects for Indians in the Russian Federation. The strategic partnership between the two countries has created favorable conditions for Indian investors, with a renewed focus on economic cooperation and enhanced bilateral relations. This has opened new avenues for Indian businesses to explore investment opportunities in sectors such as energy, technology, pharmaceuticals, and infrastructure.

What are your estimation of the current Russia’s economic presence in India? And how does it look like in the private sector there?

Russia’s economic presence in India is noteworthy, especially within the private sector. There has been a visible upward trajectory in Russian investments and collaborations in key sectors such as defense, nuclear energy, and strategic infrastructure. The private sector in India has increasingly engaged in joint ventures and technology transfers with Russian counterparts, fostering mutually beneficial partnerships.

By the way, do you see an increasing trend, particularly, in trade between the two countries? What are the supporting factors here in the bilateral trade?



The trade between India and Russia has, indeed, been experiencing an upward trend, backed by several prominent factors. Enhanced diplomatic relations, the implementation of preferential trade agreements, and increased cooperation in sectors such as aerospace, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals have been instrumental in fostering robust bilateral trade ties.

Naturally there must be a number of challenges and roadblocks, problems and pitfalls in policy and, of course, business approach in relation to Indian players in the Russian Federation. Is it possible to comment on them?

Challenges and roadblocks are inherent in any international business engagement. An understanding of regulatory frameworks, cultural nuances, and local business practices is crucial for Indian players in the Russian Federation. It is essential to address issues related to bureaucratic hurdles, legal complexities, and market entry barriers. A harmonized approach to policy frameworks and regulatory norms will be pivotal in mitigating these challenges and fostering a conducive business environment.

Do these still persist in the entrepreneurial activities and operations during these few years? What do you suggest, in terms, rules and regulations to facilitate business relations?

Persistent efforts are required to streamline and optimize entrepreneurial activities and operations in the Russian Federation. Clear and transparent regulations, simplified procedures for obtaining permits and licenses, and efforts to minimize bureaucratic red tape will provide a conducive environment for Indian businesses to thrive.

In the context of the current changes, what else could stimulate business innovations and initiatives to attract more Indian investment to Russia?

To stimulate business innovations and initiatives and attract more Indian investment to Russia, proactive measures such as the establishment of special economic zones, investment protection mechanisms, and collaborative research and development efforts can play a transformative role. Additionally, facilitating technology transfers, promoting joint ventures, and encouraging skill development programs will further bolster business prospects for Indian investors in Russia.

And finally, what are your perspectives, for instance, on geopolitical competition in relation to, say, India and China and probably other external players in Russia’s market landscape?

In the context of geopolitical competition, it is imperative to emphasize that India and Russia share a time-tested bilateral relationship based on mutual trust and strategic cooperation. While geopolitical dynamics in the region continue evolving, India and Russia maintain a strong foundation of partnership and collaboration. The convergence of interests and shared commitment to stability and economic progress underpins the enduring relationship between the two countries. Furthermore, India’s engagement with Russia complements its relations with other external players, including China, through a balanced and pragmatic approach aimed at promoting mutual prosperity and stability in the region.

In conclusion, the evolving landscape of Indo-Russian relations presents a wealth of opportunities for both countries to deepen economic engagement and foster enduring partnerships. By harnessing the potential for collaboration across diverse sectors, India and Russia can pave the way for sustained economic growth and shared prosperity.


Kester Kenn Klomegah is an independent researcher and a policy consultant on African affairs in the Russian Federation and Eurasian Union. He has won media awards for highlighting economic diplomacy in the region with Africa. Currently, Klomegah is a Special Representative for Africa on the Board of the Russian Trade and Economic Development Council. He enjoys travelling and visiting historical places in Eastern and Central Europe. Klomegah is a frequent and passionate contributor to Eurasia Review.

Thousands protest as hunger grows amid Argentine austerity


In this aerial view members of social organizations gather outside the Ministry of Human Capital to protest against food scarcity at soup kitchens and President Javier Milei government's austerity plan in Buenos Aires on February 23, 2024. — AFP pic

Saturday, 24 Feb 2024 

BUENOS AIRES, Feb 24 — Thousands protested across Argentina yesterday to demand food aid for the poor as soaring inflation and President Javier Milei’s harsh austerity measures take their toll.

Since he took office in December, Milei has slashed public spending, winning the approval of the International Monetary Fund and securing a budget surplus for the first time in 12 years in a country whose previous governments oversaw rampant inflation and multiple fiscal crises.

However, annual inflation has still risen to 254 per cent, the price of bus tickets has more than tripled, and the government has frozen crucial aid to soup kitchens that have ever more mouths to feed.

“In a little more than two months, this government has generated a very critical situation of poverty,” Alejandro Gramajo of the UTEP union told AFP.

“No to the increase in transport costs,” protesters chanted, along with cries of “Hunger doesn’t wait” and “Pots are empty, pockets are too.”

Argentina’s 38,000 meal centres, which provide a hot plate of food to those in need, received their last batch of government-provided supplies in November before Milei — a libertarian and self-described “anarcho-capitalist” — was inaugurated.

Milei’s government says it plans to audit the needs of each individual soup kitchen and put in place a system of direct aid, aiming to exclude intermediaries such as social movements he describes as “poverty managers.”

“There is no money,” said Milei when he took office, vowing to put an end to “decades of decadence” by his overspending predecessors, whose governance was marked by repeated inflationary crises and debt.

The 53-year-old leader devalued the peso by over 50 per cent, cut tens of thousands of public jobs and halved the number of government ministries.

An outsider elected on a wave of fury over the country’s decline, Milei has warned the population that the economic crisis will get worse before it gets better.

“When we hit rock bottom, we will bounce back,” he said.

Social tensions are rising, with train drivers and healthcare workers going on strike this week, and teachers due to down tools the next.

However, Milei’s government has received praise from the International Monetary Fund — to which it owes US$44 billion — for its “bold actions to restore macroeconomic stability.”

The government says that monthly inflation is coming under control and should be in the single digits by the second half of the year.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Milei in Buenos Aires on Friday, and said the “work that is being done to stabilize the economy is absolutely vital.”

“We see extraordinary opportunity here in Argentina,” he said, adding the country could “count on” the United States as it works to end its economic crisis.

 — AFP

Rape and sexual violence in Sudan’s ongoing conflict may amount to war crimes, a new UN report says



By —Jamey Keaten, Associated Press

World Feb 23, 2024 

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. human rights office said in a new report Friday that scores of people, including children, have been subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence in the ongoing conflict in Sudan, assaults that may amount to war crimes.

Sudan plunged into chaos in mid-April when clashes erupted in the capital, Khartoum, between rival Sudanese forces — the country’s military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and a paramilitary faction known as the Rapid Support Forces, under the command of Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.

The fighting quickly spread across the African country, especially urban areas but also the restive western Darfur region, and has so far killed at least 12,000 people and sent over 8 million fleeing their homes, the report said.

The report, which covers a period from the outbreak of the fighting up to Dec. 15, documents abuses in a country that has been largely inaccessible to aid groups and rights monitors recently, clouding the impact of a conflict that been overshadowed by wars in places like Gaza and Ukraine.

READ MORE: UN food agency says it has reports of people dying from starvation amid the conflict in Sudan

The report found that at least 118 people had been subjected to sexual violence, including rape — with many of the assaults committed by members of the paramilitary forces, in homes and on the streets.

One woman, the U.N. said, “was held in a building and repeatedly gang-raped over a period of 35 days.”

The report also pointed to recruitment of child soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

“Some of these violations would amount to war crimes,” said U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk, calling for prompt, thorough and independent investigations into alleged rights abuses and violations.

The report is based on interview of more than 300 victims and witnesses, some conducted in neighboring Ethiopia and Chad where many Sudanese have fled, along with analysis of photographs, videos, and satellite imagery from the conflict areas.

The ravages of the war, beyond the period examined, are continuing, the U.N. said.

The U.N. cited video that emerged last week from the country’s North Kordofan State showing men wearing Sudanese army uniforms carrying severed heads of members of the rival paramilitary faction.

“For nearly a year now, accounts coming out of Sudan have been of death, suffering and despair, as the senseless conflict and human rights violations and abuses have persisted with no end in sight,” Türk said.

“The guns must be silenced, and civilians must be protected,” he added.

Speaking from Nairobi, Kenya, by videoconference to the U.N. briefing in Geneva on Friday, Seif Magango, a regional spokesman for the U.N. human rights office said that “the number of people displaced (in Sudan) has now crossed the 8 million mark, which should concern everyone.”

Earlier in February, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters that there is no military solution to Sudan’s conflict and urged the rival generals to start talking about ending the conflict. He stressed that continued fighting “will not bring any solution so we must stop this as soon as possible.”

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Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape - Frauenkultur 

... Against. Our Will. Men, Women and Rape. SUSAN BROWNMILLER. Fawcett Columbine • New York. Page 5. Sale of this book without a front cover may be unauthorized. If ...