HINDUTVA IS NOT HINDUISM

Clashes erupt in India’s New Delhi during Hindu procession

Police stand guard in Jahangirpuri, New Delhi, on April 16, 2022, 

after clashes between members of two communities [Deepak/AFP]

Published On 16 Apr 2022

Clashes broke out during a Hindu religious procession in the Indian capital, New Delhi, on Saturday that left several people and police officers injured.

The violence erupted between Muslims and Hindus during the procession in Jahangirpuri, a suburb of New Delhi, eye witnesses said.

Police said they were still investigating the source of the disturbances.

“We are still assessing how many people are injured … some policemen have also been hurt,” said Deependra Pathak, a police official in Jahangirpuri.

The violence broke out during a procession to mark the Hindu festival of Hanuman Jayanti, police said without giving further details.

Earlier on Saturday, protesters in New Delhi shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government saying Muslims had been violently targeted by authorities last week in the aftermath of Hindu-Muslim clashes in parts of three states ruled by Modi’s Hindu nationalist party.

The clashes last Sunday during a religious festival prompted police to impose a curfew in one town and ban gatherings of more than four people in parts of the states.

Local authorities tore down the homes and shops of suspected Muslim rioters in central Madhya Pradesh state in the aftermath of last weekend’s violence that broke out during the Hindu festival of Ram Navami, said a police official who did not want to be named.

In Modi’s home state, Gujarat, authorities demolished makeshift shops belonging to those they said were involved in the riots in which one man was killed.

Opposition politicians have accused Modi’s right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party of stoking tensions between majority Hindus and Muslims in states that it rules.

Leaders of 13 opposition parties issued a joint statement calling for peace and harmony after the religious clashes.

“We are extremely anguished at the manner in which issues related to food, dress, faith, festivals and language are being deliberately used by sections of the ruling establishment to polarise our society,” the leaders said.

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The New Arab Staff & Agencies
16 April, 2022

Protesters stood against Islamophobia in New Delhi [Getty]

Protesters in New Delhi shouted slogans against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government on Saturday, saying Muslims were violently targeted by authorities in the aftermath of Hindu-Muslim clashes.

The clashes on Sunday during a religious festival prompted police to impose a curfew in one town and ban gatherings of more than four people in parts of three states ruled by Modi's Hindu nationalist party.

Local authorities tore down the homes and shops of suspected Muslim rioters in central Madhya Pradesh state in the aftermath of the violence that broke out during the Hindu festival of Ram Navami, according to a police official who did not want to be named.

In Modi's home state, Gujarat, authorities demolished makeshift shops belonging to those they said were involved in the riots in which one man was killed, said an official in Anand district in Gujarat, where the clashes erupted.

The clashes saw Hindus and Muslims throw stones at each other, injuring at least 24 people.

Hindu extremists then attacked Muslims and burned down a mosque while police reportedly stood by.

Police and local authorities told Reuters after the clashes that they were free from bias and acting within the law.

Opposition politicians have accused Modi's right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party of stoking tensions between majority Hindus and Muslims in states that it rules.

Police in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh on Friday arrested nine people from a hardline Hindu group suspected of torching the home of a Muslim man who married a Hindu woman. At the protest attended by scores of people in New Delhi, Kavita Krishnan, a social activist, said India was being transformed from a constitutional democracy to a Hindu supremacist state.

Leaders of 13 opposition parties made a joint statement calling for peace and harmony and after the religious clashes.

"We are extremely anguished at the manner in which issues related to food, dress, faith, festivals and language are being deliberately used by sections of the ruling establishment to polarize our society," the leaders said.

(Reuters)

(File Photo)

Apocalypse of hatred, bigotry, intolerance, untruth engulfing India: Sonia Gandhi

April 16, 2022

In India, main opposition party, Congress President, Sonia Gandhi says hatred, bigotry and intolerance are engulfing the country under Modi led BJP regime.

In an article, she said people cannot stand by and watch as peace and pluralism are sacrificed at the altar of bogus nationalism.

She also highlighted the rising chorus of hatred, the unconcealed instigation of aggression and even crimes against the minorities across India.

Sonia Gandhi said all dissent and opinion that are opposed to the ideology of those in power are sought to be ruthlessly stifled.

She said political opponents are targeted and the full might of the state machinery is unleashed against them.

She said that activists are being threatened and sought to be silenced while social media particularly is being used to propagate lies and venom.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also shared the article on twitter saying that every Indian is paying the price for the hate fuelled by BJP and RSS.

French protests in large numbers against 'extreme right' ahead of final round of elections
Protesters urge voting against candidates, massive abstention
17.04.2022


By Shweta Desai

PARIS

The French turned out in large numbers Saturday to oppose the extreme right and outgoing President Emmanuel Macron and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in the final round of presidential elections.

Nearly 22,000 participated in about 50 rallies, including 9,200 in Paris alone, according to a FranceInfo report, citing Interior Ministry data.

Demonstrations were held under the slogan: “Neither Le Pen, nor Macron” which is fast becoming a trend one week before the final round of the election. Protesters expressed discontent about the two finalists and called for mass abstention on April 24.

Protestors were seen holding banners that said: “All Against Macron,” “The young (expletive) on National Rally,” “Against the extreme right,” “Insecurity is hate at the Elysee,” and “Better a vote that stinks than a vote that kills.”

Police blocked metro stations in Paris to control protesters with signs and banners from joining the rallies.

Officials denied permission for the rallies in several cities with officials anticipating violence and disturbance of the public order.

The rallies were organized by trade and workers unions and civil society associations like the League of Human Rights, SOS Racism, Syndicate of the Judiciary and the National Trade Union Center (CGT).

Demonstrations emerged after the results of the first round of elections April 10 that qualified Macron and Le Pen for the final round.

There is widespread anger toward the candidates for encouraging right-wing ideology, hatred and violence.

Agitated student associations at several universities blocked campuses this week and are mobilizing campaigns to “oppose the hatred and fascism that are at the gates of the Elysee.”

Le Pen described the protests as deeply anti-democratic.

Analysts estimate if there is mass abstention in the final round it will adversely affect Macron’s chances of being re-elected and can tilt votes in Le Pen’s favor.

Currently, voting intentions for Macron are at 55% and 44% for Le Pen, according to a BFMTV poll.

Police clash with ‘Neither Macron, nor Le Pen’ protesters (VIDEOS)

About 10,000 people gathered for a political demonstration in central Paris

© AP / Christophe Ena

French police used tear gas during a brief clash with demonstrators in Paris who had taken to the streets to oppose both remaining candidates for the presidency: incumbent Emmanuel Macron and the National Rally’s Marine Le Pen.

Ahead of the second round of the election, which is scheduled for April 24, thousands of people took part in anti-fascist and anti-racist demonstrations in dozens of cities around the country, with the largest one unsurprisingly taking place in the capital. The main goal of the demonstrators was to show their opposition to Le Pen, who leftists consider a far-right politician. However, many of Le Pen’s opponents apparently do not relish the prospect of another term for Macron. In fact, one of the most popular slogans of the march was “Ni Macron, ni Le Pen” (“Neither Macron nor Le Pen”).

© AP / Christophe Ena

Though more than 30 organizations and unions took part in the demonstration, it gathered fewer than 10,000 people, according to figures provided by the Paris prefecture. This is a far cry from the size of the anti-Le Pen crowds that assembled between the two rounds of the previous presidential election in 2017.

At about 5 pm at the Place de la Republique square, law enforcement responded to protesters who were throwing projectiles and burning bicycles and waste by briefly dispersing tear gas. Soon after the incident the march resumed.

Le Pen, speaking to reporters in southern France, commented on the demonstrations against her, saying that “protesting against election results is deeply undemocratic.”

“I say to all these people just go and vote. It's as simple as that,” she said.

© AP / Christophe Ena

The ‘Neither Macron nor Le Pen’ protest was one of at least six demonstrations that took place in Paris on Saturday. There was also a separate demonstration against Macron’s policies, a march in support of Ukraine and two Yellow Vest protests: one against obligatory Covid-19 vaccinations and another one for “social, financial and climate justice.”

READ MORE: Macron to face Le Pen in F

The presidency will be decided by a runoff between incumbent President Emmanuel Macron and Le Pen, who in the first round garnered a respective 27.6% and 23.41% of the vote. Polls have so far been pointing to Macron as the likely winner when the two go head to head on April 24.

French election: Thousands protest against

far-right ahead of presidential run-off

By Euronews with AFP • Updated: 16/04/2022 - 

Demonstrators hold a banner reading: Against Le Pen, during a protest 

against far-right in Paris, Saturday, April 16, 2022. - 

 Copyright AP Photo/Christophe Ena

"Better a vote that stinks than a vote that kills". In Paris and in towns and cities across France, thousands of people protested against the far-right ahead of next weekend's presidential run-off.

Many made it clear that in saying "no to the far right" they did not support Emmanuel Macron either — but would reluctantly cast their ballots for the current president in order to keep out his far-right rival.

"Not a single vote for Marine Le Pen!" chanted people in Lille, where several hundred demonstrators turned out. Ousted left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon repeated the phrase several times in a speech to supporters last weekend.

"We are here to say no to the far right. (...) for society, freedoms but also the climate. It would be a real regression if it came to power," said Jean-François Julliard , Managing Director of Greenpeace France. He was one of several thousand people who protested in Paris.

One sign in Paris recalled: "2002 was no, 2022 is still no", a reference to the "republican front" which saw millions mobilise to re-elect Jacques Chirac and keep out the far-right former "Front National" leader Jean-Marie Le Pen who had made it to the second round.

There were similar scenes in Marseille too, the city where Emmanuel Macron held a meeting on Saturday. "We are here to block the far right", exclaimed one high school student, Medina Bayoui.

In Lyon, where the demonstrators were mostly young people, Emma, ​​a 23-year-old student, said she was taking a stand "against the trivialisation of dangerous ideas, against racism, exclusion, potential dictatorship".

Bruno, a 60-year-old teacher, came from Chambéry to Lyon to say "no to nationalism, populism, xenophobia".

Marine Le Pen, who campaigned earlier in Saint-Rémy-sur-Avre, west of Paris, criticised the protests. "Coming to demonstrate against the results of an election", she said, was "deeply anti-democratic... I think the French find it unpleasant to see their choice being challenged in the street, through demonstrations"

"Neither Le Pen nor Macron"

While the demonstrations were all against the far right, many who turned out made it clear they did not back the outgoing president either.

Sasha Halgand, an activist from SOS Racisme, regretted being faced with "a Macron / Le Pen duel which young people don't want," explaining that a vote for Macron would be tactical. "If Marine le Pen came to power, there would be fascist militias, draconian laws."

Lucile Muller, 19, a student in Paris, took issue with both candidates. "We already had the same result five years ago but we did not know Macron. Then we saw police violence, draconian laws (.. .) We would have preferred a second round between Mélenchon and Macron, with debates on ecology for example”.

In Paris, a few clashes broke out between police and around 100 people towards the end of the march.

And if in Paris a sign recalled: "2002 (Editor's note: Jean-Marie Le Pen against Jacques Chirac in the second round) it was no, 2022 is still no", recalls a sign in Paris.

Anti far-right demonstrators in Lyon, April 16, 2022Lauren Chadwick/ Euronews

Anti far-right demonstrators in Lyon, April 16, 2022Lauren Chadwick/ Euronews

Anti far-right demonstrators in Lyon, April 16, 2022Lauren Chadwick/ Euronews

Anti far-right demonstrators in Lyon, April 16, 2022Lauren Chadwick/ Euronews

Protestors walk through tear gas during a demonstration against ‘racism and fascism’ in Paris on April 16, 2022. — AFP 

Macron woos ecologically conscious French voters, slams right-wing project as ‘climatosceptique’

French president promises hosts of green measures to make France ecological economy

17.04.2022


By Shweta Desai

PARIS

Outgoing President Emmanuel Macron held a campaign rally Saturday to woo left-wing environmental voters by promising a host of green measures and castigating his far-right opponent’s political program as “climatosceptique.”

“The far-right is a climatosceptique project … it does not believe in (climate change),” Macron said of the National Front’s candidate Marine Le Pen at the rally in Marseilles.

Macron, the candidate for the Republic on the Move party, is facing widespread criticism and discontent from younger voters and students for neglecting the climate program and indulging in right-wing politics.

In the face of ongoing demonstrations that are calling for mass abstention for the final round of the presidential election on April 24 and to vote “neither for Le Pen nor for Macron,” the president is facing a steep challenge to ensure maximum votes in his favor.

Macron must attract every vote from opponents if he wants to maintain a lead against Le Pen, according to pollsters. He must particularly target left-wing voters and supporters of Jean-Luc Melenchon who came third in the first round of voting last week with 21% of votes.

The majority of those voters have intended to not vote for Macron for failing to give weight to ecological and socio-economic issues.

Macron confessed that during his first term his government did not do much and promised to act moving ahead.

“A good part of our compatriots made us hear on April 10 at the polls to put the environment at the heart of our campaign and the years to come for France,” he said, calling voters to have a “new perspective” by re-electing him to a second term.

Addressing the mostly young crowd who are worried about the future of the planet, Macron said it is a challenge to convert “eco-anxiety” into action and ambition.

He said if elected, his government will divert its attention to ecological issues. He wants to appoint ministers for energy planning to eradicate France’s use of “gas, oil and coal" and another point person for territorial ecological planning for environmental transition, and ensure the next prime minister is “directly responsible for ecological planning."

He said steps will be taken to build the French economy ecologically and move “towards carbon neutrality by 2050."

He also promised to train more than 400,000 people in ecological transition energy, industry, recycling, and repair, organize a Nature Festival and improve air quality, among other measures.

Activists block roads in Paris, London to draw attention to climate crisis

A large crowd of demonstrators calling themselves Extinction Rebellion demanded slashing of new infrastructure plans linked to fossil fuels and warned about climate change at protests in the capitals of the UK and France.

Activists of the climate change action group Extinction Rebellion block the Paris Grand Boulevard during a demonstration in Paris, on April 16 2022. (AFP)

Several hundred activists demonstrated in London and Paris in response to a call from an environmental movement named Extinction Rebellion to demand the immediate cessation of new infrastructure linked to fossil fuels and warn about the climate emergency.

The group blocked major roads in central Paris and London, disrupting traffic to protest "inaction" on climate change from world leaders.

Around 300 metres (980 feet) of the main thoroughfare in central Paris was taken over by activists over the Easter weekend, with some of them moving in hay bales and cement-filled containers to block traffic.

Extinction Rebellion tweeted "thousands" of protesters were "occupying" London's Marble Arch roundabout during a sit-in close to Hyde Park, demanding an end to the fossil fuel economy.

Demonstrators also glued themselves to a limousine in central London.

The Metropolitan Police said in a tweet that the protest caused "significant traffic disruption" and that the protesters "locked onto a stationary vehicle in the middle of the road... believed to be their own."

Activists from the group had glued themselves to a tanker earlier on Saturday, blocking the vehicle on a road near Hyde Park.

A few hundred activists from the environmental group Extinction Rebellion set up shop on April 16, 2022 morning on part of the Grands Boulevards, in the center of Paris, in order to make it "a great agora" on the climate during the Easter weekend. (AFP)

'End fossil filth'

Three activists including 2012 Olympic canoe slalom champion Etienne Stott climbed onto the tanker belonging to British energy giant Shell, unfurling a banner saying, "End fossil filth," Extinction Rebellion said.

"I am aware that my actions will cause anger to many people and I am prepared to be held accountable," Stott said.

"But our government should also be held to account for its decisions which are destroying our planet's ability to support human civilisation."

Six people were arrested, the Metropolitan Police said.

In Paris, activists hung out a large red banner that read: "This world is dying. Let's build the next one." The protest is scheduled to continue until Monday.

"Rebelling is our duty," had been daubed in graffiti on a wall nearby.

"This is the only way of ensuring that everyone talks a bit about climate change," Antoine, a young activist who declined to give his surname, told AFP.

A line of French riot police stood opposite the protesters, but officers did not intervene.

Activists from the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion (XR) block Blackfriars Bridge in London on April 15, 2022, one of a series of actions aiming to stop the fossil fuel economy. (AFP)

Anger over official policies

Extinction Rebellion has carried out a series of protests in Britain in the past week, including shutting down four of London's busiest bridges on Friday.

A scientist from the group, Emma Smart, was freed on Saturday after starting a hunger strike following her arrest earlier in the week during a protest targeting the British energy ministry, Extinction Rebellion said.

After several oil depots were targeted by the campaign group Just Stop Oil in recent days, many companies including ExxonMobil successfully took out injunctions to stop such actions, the government in London said.

The British government last week presented a new energy security strategy after the war in Ukraine and soaring inflation, with a greater focus on nuclear power and renewable energy, but also oil from the North Sea.

The strategy has angered many activists who believe the government is not doing enough to move away from fossil fuels.

Many French environmentalists have been left despondent after the first round of presidential elections last weekend in which Greens candidate Yannick Jadot and hard-left ecologist Jean-Luc Melenchon were eliminated.

A second-round run-off will be held next Sunday between centrist President Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen

.

City of London police speak with activists from the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion (XR) as they block Blackfriars Bridge in London on April 15, 2022, one of a series of actions aiming to stop the fossil fuel economy. (AFP)

AUSTRALIA
Fears second Darwin port and industrial hub could have ‘significant adverse impacts’ on health


Proposed $1.5bn development announced by Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce may threaten air, soil and water quality, NT environment report says

Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce with country Liberal candidates Jacinta Price (right) and Damien Ryan announcing the second port for Darwin. Photograph: Aaron Bunch/AAP

Australian Associated Press

Sun 17 Apr 2022 

A new Darwin port industrial hub spruiked by the deputy prime minister could have severe impacts on human health, a Northern Territory government environmental report says.

Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce on Tuesday announced $1.5bn to transform Middle Arm peninsula into a world-leading gas, hydrogen and minerals processing and export precinct.

The proposed NT-led development also includes a petrochemicals plant for plastic, pesticide and fertiliser production.

The nationally-significant infrastructure project is set to create 20,000 jobs and turbocharge the regional economy, the NT government says.
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But an NT risk assessment released the same day says the hub could have “significant adverse impacts” on community health.


Origin to push on with Beetaloo Basin plan, saying it didn’t breach sanctions against Russian oligarch

The report also found air quality in the area may be significantly affected.

The Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct is about 3km south-west of Palmerston and 13km south-east of Darwin, which have a combined population of about 160,000.

Soil and water quality could also suffer if erosion, leaks, discharge of wastewater or spills of hazardous materials occur.

Threatened species and sensitive vegetation may be adversely affected when the site, which is about the size of 750 AFL ovals, is cleared.

The potential threats were identified in a risk assessment the NT government was required to submit under the environmental approvals process.

It also flagged potential damage to the seabed and marine ecosystems during dredging, infrastructure construction and shipping operations.

The slated development would also likely stop the NT achieving its greenhouse gas emissions targets.

Indigenous sacred sites could be affected during dredging, land clearing, shipping and industrial operations, the report found.

Darwin’s existing port was controversially leased to Chinese company Landbridge for 99 years by the territory government in 2015.

Joyce says the new project is vital for Australia’s strategic interests amid growing geopolitical tensions and will help develop Darwin into a gateway to the wealth of south-east Asia.

The taxpayer funds have been earmarked to help build port infrastructure, including a wharf and offloading facility.

Joyce says it’s likely to lead to more than $16bn in private sector investment.

The investment promise also includes $440m to build logistics hubs at Alice Springs, Katherine and Tennant Creek, and $200m to develop a rail spur and new road network.

Environment minister Sussan Ley says ongoing assessment will enable the commonwealth and NT governments to identify environmentally significant areas and reduce impacts.


‘Water isn’t endless’: the controversial plan to extend irrigated agriculture in NT’s tropical savannah

“The Morrison government is committed to assessment and approval processes that protect the environment without creating unnecessary duplication and delay that can cost our economy millions of dollars and jobs,” she said.

Local activist group, Environment Centre NT, says the project is not sustainable and Territorians don’t want toxic industries on their doorstep.

“It is outrageous that this plan is being called ‘sustainable development’ when it is really about Morrison government funding for the fossil fuel industry, that’s leading us to hotter temperatures and more extreme weather events,” campaign manager Jason Fowler said.

He said industrialisation in Middle Arm is also likely to lead to loss of mangroves and species, such as turtles, dugongs and dolphins.

The Middle Arm peninsula is already home to a liquefied natural gas hub, where the Santos-led Darwin LNG and INPEX-led Ichthys LNG onshore processing facilities operate.

MYANMAR CRISIS

Myanmar's purge of tycoon highlights tension within regime

Military chief may follow 'Xi Jinping's playbook' to eliminate rivals, expert says

Myanmar's ruler, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, has arrested a number of associates of Shwe Mann, a rival and a former speaker of the lower house of parliament. 

(Source photo by Reuters)

THOMPSON CHAU and DOMINIC OO, 

contributing writers

April 17, 2022 

YANGON/TAIPEI -- The arrest and detention of Khin Shwe, a longtime Myanmar tycoon, by the military regime last month hints at an irreconcilable split between Min Aung Hlaing's ruling faction and Shwe Mann, a former general who was once among the country's most powerful politicians.

The arrest of Khin Shwe points to tensions between the current military leaders and the old guard associated with previous juntas, as the two are not believed to be connected with Myanmar's pro-democracy movement, which is trying to remove the generals from power, or the National Unity Government, a shadow authority established by ousted lawmakers from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy.

The interrogation by authorities in late March of Yangon's commerce minister, Aung Than Oo, and Mayor Bo Htay over a land dispute has added to speculation that there is a factional dispute between Myanmar's current military rulers and the old guard. Both Aung Than Oo and Bo Htay were appointed by the military after it seized power in February 2021.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar's ruler, has struggled to resuscitate collapsing business confidence following military takeover in February last year. Members of the local and foreign business community have largely shunned the regime's top officials as public resentment against the military authorities deepens.

On March 21, 70-year-old Khin Shwe and his son, Zay Thiha, were arrested and are being held at Yangon's Insein Prison following a dispute dating back to 2018 related to a construction project on military-owned land in Bahan township. Their detention was confirmed by military spokesperson Zaw Min Tun at a news conference in Naypyidaw on March 24.

A leaked police report circulated on social media and verified by Burmese news outlet Khit Thit Media suggests the father and son were arrested for allegedly failing to pay more than $20 million for land that the company leased in Yangon in breach of the initial memorandum of understanding, as well as for destroying buildings considered heritage sites owned by the Defense Ministry.

Myanmar tycoon Khin Shwe poses for a photo at his office in Yangon in 2015.

 © Reuters

In 1990, Khin Shwe founded the Zaykabar conglomerate. His company became a big player in Myanmar's construction industry thanks to its closeness to the military, making him one of the richest people in the country.

The tycoon was a prominent member of the military-business establishment, an ally of the military and a member of parliament for the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) from 2010 to 2015. He was originally sanctioned by the U.S. due to his close relationship with Khin Nyunt, a spymaster who ruled Myanmar with an iron fist until his ouster in 2004.

Business people and analysts have also highlighted Khin Shwe's close ties to Shwe Mann as a reason for his fall from grace. His daughter is married to the son of Shwe Mann, who was a powerful general, third in command in the junta that ruled Myanmar for half a century before giving way in 2011 to a quasi-military government led by President Thein Sein. Shwe Mann then became speaker of the lower house of parliament.

Under the Thein Sein administration, Shwe Mann was also leader of the then-ruling USDP until he was ousted in 2015. He drew closer to Aung San Suu Kyi in the run-up to the elections that year that brought Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy to power.

Shwe Mann, left, then speaker of Myanmar's parliament, greets pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi before their meeting in 2015. 

 © Reuters

"Shwe Mann remains widely reviled within the USDP among hard-liners and some military leaders," said Thant Zin, a Burmese business analyst in Yangon who has access to members of the military. They blame his decision as parliament speaker to block a switch to proportional representation for the party's decimation at the polls, despite gaining a significant share of the vote, Than Zin said.

Shwe Mann has not been seen in public since February 2021. The Union Betterment Party that he founded did not win any seats in the 2020 polls.

"Khin Shwe and Shwe Mann are in-laws. This reaffirms the fact that Shwe Mann is now completely out of their picture. I think Min Aung Hlaing is on the path of following Xi Jinping's playbook, where the Chinese president is eliminating Jiang Zemin's faction one after another," said a well-connected Burmese-Chinese business owner in Yangon.

A lot of cronies are "vigilant," and "quite a number of tycoons remain overseas, avoiding the risk of getting detained," the businessman said.

"I can't shed a tear for him [Khin Shwe]. He was crying himself, of course," another influential business source in Yangon remarked.

Khin Shwe had allegedly asked Shwe Mann for help with his business and with bringing in a Chinese company without permission, which might have angered the military. But experts point to other underlying reasons: "Khin Shwe encouraged his constituents in Kawhmu to vote for the NLD, so [he] was regarded as a traitor by the USDP. Also, he was a Khin Nyunt crony, and of Chinese ethnicity, so he's not one that Min Aung Hlaing and company appreciate," the source told Nikkei.

Myanmar's military ousted the democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. 

 © Reuters

Political insiders have branded Shwe Mann "a paper tiger" and say his political career is over, according to a politician who is not connected to the NUG or the NLD. "Unlike other old guards of the Tatmadaw [Myanmar's military], the State Administration Council [the official name of the military government] will not use Shwe Mann for its future political games."

"I don't think it necessarily signals a split within the old crony-military elite-industrial complex. Khin Shwe's arrest would serve as a 'warning shot' [for] present and old cronies, and their offspring no less -- that they and their assets are not as untouchable as they had deemed," said Thant Zin. "The arrest is symbolic of the current junta's 'settling of old scores' mentality."

The downfall of prominent politicians and tycoons could have implications for the regime's top brass. According to Thant Zin, Aung Than Oo's mentor and the person closest to him in the current cabinet is Immigration Minister and USDP Vice Chair Khin Yi.

"It remains to be seen if the arrests would undermine Khin Yi's position in the regime and the USDP," he said.

Myanmar junta to free 1,600 prisoners in new year amnesty

Some 1,619 prisoners, including 42 foreigners, had been "pardoned" and will be released to mark the new year. PHOTO: AFP

YANGON (AFP) - Myanmar's junta will release over 1,600 prisoners from jails across the country on Sunday(April 17) to mark the Buddhist new year, it said, without specifying whether those being pardoned were protesters or common criminals.

The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since the military's ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi's government last year, which sparked huge protests and a deadly crackdown.

Some 1,619 prisoners, including 42 foreigners had been "pardoned" and will be released to mark the new year, according to an announcement carried by state TV on Sunday morning.

It remains unclear whether anti-junta protesters or journalists jailed covering the coup will be among those freed.

There was also no mention of Australian academic Sean Turnell, a former adviser to ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was arrested shortly after the coup.

He is currently on trial for allegedly breaching the official secrets act, which carries a maximum 14-year jail sentence.

The exact details of his alleged offence have not been made public, though state television has said he had access to "secret state financial information" and had tried to flee the country.

Myanmar typically grants an annual amnesty to thousands of prisoners to mark its traditional Buddhist New Year holiday - which in previous years have been joyous affairs with city-wide water fights.

But this year, with the military continuing its bloody crackdown on dissent, the streets in many major cities have been silent as people protest junta rule.

UK

‘Inhumane and heartless’ – Civil Service unions oppose Rwanda asylum plan

By Jane Deith

16 Apr 2022

Two Civil Service unions have voiced their opposition to the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, one describing it as ‘inhumane’ and ‘heartless’.

The Home Secretary gave her personal approval to push the plan through, after some officials were concerned about whether it would be value for money.

The Government insists that Rwanda is a “fundamentally safe and secure country” which has a track record of supporting asylum seekers.

Priti Patel facing mutiny over Rwanda one-way ticket policy

UK home secretary Priti Patel in Kigali, Rwanda

Mason Boycott-Owen
April 16 2022 

British home secretary Priti Patel is facing a mutiny from civil servants over her controversial Rwanda policy after a top official formally challenged its value for money.

Unions representing staff in Whitehall warned of mass walk-outs and transfer requests over the ethical and legal implications of the policy to send illegal migrants 5,000 miles to the African country for processing.

The threat will exacerbate concerns among top Tories about the dysfunctional nature of the Home Office which has repeatedly faced questions over its handling of immigration.

It comes after Britain’s prime minister Boris Johnson said he was prepared to take on an “army of politically motivated lawyers” in the courts to ensure that his policy to slash illegal migration into the UK was enacted.

Home Office sources confirmed that Ms Patel had to force civil servants to sign off on the Rwanda Partnership plan by issuing a ministerial direction, required when officials challenge policy proposals on value-for-money grounds.

The direction is thought to have been sought by Matthew Rycroft, the permanent secretary at the Home Office.

It is only the second ministerial direction the Home Office has received in the last 30 years, alongside the bringing forward of the Windrush Compensation Scheme.

This is despite the policy expected to cost between £20,000 and £30,000 (€24,100-€36,200) per migrant covering hotel accommodation before departure, the flight to Rwanda and the first three months of accommodation there.

Immigration minister Tom Pursglove also said yesterday that sending migrants to Rwanda would save Britain money in the “longer term”.

Ms Patel set out details in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, of a deal to send single male asylum seekers who enter the UK illegally to Rwanda where they would be given an opportunity to build a “new life”.

Research from the Find Out Now polling company showed it was overwhelmingly popular among Conservative and Leave voters, while as few as one in 10 Labour voters back it.

The policy has also caused deep disquiet in Whitehall, where civil servants could walk out rather than implement the policy.

One official, who works outside the Home Office, said the Rwanda plan was “taking ‘hostile environment’ to a whole new level”.

Canada is failing Ukrainians displaced by Russian invasion, former head of Doctors Without Borders says

April 16, 2022
Via The Globe and Mail: Canada is failing Ukrainians displaced by Russian invasion, former head of Doctors Without Borders says. BEHIND PAYWALL

Excerpt:

Ottawa needs to do more to help Ukrainian refugees navigate the complexities of paperwork and logistics to come to Canada, the former head of Doctors Without Borders says, lest it reprise past blunders.

“We know the failures in Afghanistan of not living up to our promises. And we cannot repeat history,” said Joanne Liu, a Montreal emergency physician who returned recently from three weeks in Ukraine, where she was struck by the warm reception to her Canadian passport.

 
Many in the country remember early Canadian promises to stand by Ukraine, making Canada “a place of promise, a place of hope,” Dr. Liu said. “We have to live up to our promise,” she added, pointing to bureaucratic obstacles Ukrainians must navigate before coming to Canada.

 
“We absolutely need to lift the red tape. For people who are seeking to come here, it’s not good enough to just say, ‘Well, we have extended the hours of our consulates.’ ”

 
For example, Ukrainians need better linguistic support to complete paperwork in an unfamiliar language, she said. “You have to facilitate it. That means you should staff better, you should have people who speak the language.”

 
In early March, the Canadian government said it was creating a telephone hotline as “a dedicated service channel for Ukraine immigration inquiries.” That line offers service in French and English only, and suggests anyone who speaks another language write in using a web form. The Globe and Mail called the number six times on Friday, but was not able to reach anyone. When The Globe selected an option for callers “regarding the situation in Ukraine,” the hotline hung up each time.

 
Global Affairs Canada referred questions to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

CALL IT A BABUSHKA INSTEAD

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen confronted by Muslims over headscarf issue

Marine Le Pen, French far-right National Rally party candidate, speaks with a Muslim woman in Pertuis, France. Photo: Reuters/Christian Hartmann

Catherine Le Nouvelle
April 16 2022 

Muslim headscarves took centre stage in France’s presidential campaign yesterday amid far-right candidate Marine Le Pen’s push to ban them .

Both she and rival Emmanuel Macron were confronted by women in headscarves who asked why their clothing choices should be caught up in politics.

Mr Macron wouldn’t ban religious clothing, but he has overseen the closure of several mosques and Islamic groups. Many Muslims feel the presidential campaign has unfairly stigmatised their faith.

At a farmers’ market in the southern town of Pertuis, a woman in a blue-and-white head covering approached Ms Le Pen as the candidate weaved past fishmongers and vendors to greet supporters.

“What is the headscarf doing in politics?” the woman asked.

Ms Le Pen defended her position, calling the headscarf a “uniform imposed over time by people who have a radical vision of Islam”.

“That’s not true,” countered the woman. “I started to wear the veil when I was an older woman... For me it is a sign of being a grandmother.”

The woman noted that her father had served in the French military for 15 years.

Ms Le Pen’s opposition to the headscarf has encapsulated what her critics say makes her dangerous to French unity, by stigmatising millions of French Muslims.

Mr Macron also spoke with a woman in a Muslim headscarf, in a lively exchange on broadcaster France Info. He sought to distance himself from Ms Le Pen by saying he would not change any laws, but defended an existing ban on headscarves in schools.

The woman, Sara El Attar, said she felt insulted by previous comments by Mr Macron where he suggested headscarves destabilise relations between men and women.

She repeated the argument that many veiled women in France make, that people mistakenly think they are veiled not through personal choice, but because men make them wear headscarves.

Mr Macron sought to defend his record. “For me personally, the question of the headscarf is not an obsession,” he said.

  

‘Radical vision’: France vote spotlights Muslim headscarves

President Macron has defended the existing ban on headscarves in schools while election opponent Marine Le Pen seeks to outlaw coverings outright.

Protesters hold a placard reading 'Veiled or not veiled, we want equality' as they take part in a demonstration in Perpignan, southwestern France

 [File: Raymond Roig/AFP]

Published On 15 Apr 2022

Muslim headscarves took centre stage in France’s presidential campaign amid far-right candidate Marine Le Pen’s push to entirely ban them in the country with western Europe’s largest Muslim population.

Both Le Pen and rival Emmanuel Macron, facing a tightly contested April 24 runoff vote, were confronted by women in headscarves on Friday who asked why their clothing choices should be caught up in politics.

Macron said he would not ban religious clothing, but he has overseen the closure of several mosques and Islamic groups. And many Muslims in France feel the presidential campaign has unfairly stigmatised their faith.

At a farmers’ market in the southern town of Pertuis, a woman in a blue-and-white head covering approached Le Pen as the candidate weaved past fishmongers and vendors to greet supporters.

“What is the headscarf doing in politics?” the woman asked.

Le Pen defended her position calling the headscarf a “uniform imposed over time by people who have a radical vision of Islam”.

“That’s not true,” countered the woman. “I started to wear the veil when I was an older woman… For me it is a sign of being a grandmother.” The woman noted her father served in the French military for 15 years.

Speaking to RTL radio on Thursday, Le Pen explained how her pledge to ban the headscarf in all public spaces would be implemented, saying it would be enforced by police in the same way as seatbelt-wearing in cars.

“People will be given a fine in the same way that it is illegal to not wear your seat belt. It seems to me that the police are very much able to enforce this measure,” she said.

Le Pen’s opposition to the headscarf has encapsulated what her critics say makes her dangerous to French unity by stigmatising millions of French Muslims. If she becomes president, Le Pen said she would also slash immigration and wants to outlaw ritual slaughter, which would restrict French Muslims’ and Jews’ access to kosher and halal meat.

Macron, too, debated a woman in a Muslim headscarf on Friday in a lively exchange on broadcaster France-Info. He sought to distance himself from Le Pen by saying he would not change any laws, but defended an existing ban on headscarves in schools as part of France’s secular principles.

The woman, Sara el-Attar, said she felt insulted by previous comments by Macron when he suggested headscarves destabilise relations between men and women.

French women “have been castigated these recent years for a simple scarf, without any leader deigning to denounce this injustice”, she said.

‘Not an obsession’

El-Attar repeated the argument many veiled women in France make: people mistakenly think they are veiled not through personal choice, but because men make them wear headscarves.

Macron sought to defend his record. “For me personally, the question of the headscarf is not an obsession,” Macron said.

But critics say his government stoked prejudice against Muslims by cracking down on what it has claimed are efforts by some Muslims to carve out spaces in France for stricter interpretations of Islam. The government has gone after some schools, mosques and Islamic associations.

Le Pen, 53, has toned down her anti-immigration rhetoric during campaigning this year and has focused instead on household spending, putting her closer than ever to power, opinion polls indicate.

A Note on Marx’s Atheistic Humanism

by William Manson / April 16th, 2022 /DISSIDENT VOICE

Karl Marx’s thought is justifiably characterized as “materialist.”  In his doctoral dissertation, he had contrasted the theories of Democritus and Epicurus, both of whom rejected Pythagorean-Platonic notions of a separate world of the “spirit” (i.e., of eternal “patterns” from which transient, this-world things supposedly derived).  Like many radical humanists of the mid-19th century, Marx was profoundly influenced by Feuerbach’s dismissal of an illusory “God” as in actuality a projection of the potential powers of humanity.  Not only Christianity but virtually all world religions had insisted on an after-worldly disposition of the immortal “soul” — transmigration, inferior reincarnation (bad karma), infernal punishment for this-worldly “sins,” and so on.  (By contrast, Nietzsche’s Zarathustra reassured the dying tightrope walker that there was no hell to fear — death was simply a termination.)

Despotic rulers, from times immemorial, had utilized priestly elites to indoctrinate their credulous “subjects” in humble obedience — lest the “God” of reigning ideology impose horrific, never-ending punishments on their recalcitrant, immortal souls.  Even into the 20th century, most people worldwide remained indoctrinated in some variant of belief in virtuous humility as a crucial basis for after-worldly “salvation” (variously depicted).  Oppressed populations, fearing disease and death, would solicit “divine” protection through prayer, and offer ritual sacrifices as a quid pro quo for divine favor.  To Marx (as well as Freud), all this was a survival of fear-dominated times, in which hapless humans, unable to comprehend the class-based origins of their oppression, desperately looked skyward for fantasized rescue.

Where did this almost-universal notion of the “soul” come from?  Nineteenth century anthropologists concluded that, in pre-modern times, the occurrence of death remained a mystery.  At one moment, the dying loved one was still talking, her features lively and animated–and then, inert stillness.  (“The rest is Silence” — Hamlet.)  To observers of such a moment, something appeared to have left the body, which remained in place but now forever motionless.  This “something,” our remote ancestors must have (falsely) surmised, must have ascended to some other realm or dimension.  Thus, the after-worldly, immortal “soul” — and, along with it, absurd, this-worldly anxieties about its “salvation.”  For Marx, such preoccupation was a terrible travesty, a deluded affront to confronting the very real, material problems of survival and to struggling to overcome the deprivations of being oppressed and exploited.

William Manson is the author of The Psychodynamics of Culture (Greenwood Press). Read other articles by William.