Habib Siddiqui

  Ahead of the November 2019 election, Sri Lankan presidential challenger Gotabaya Rajapaksa proposed sweeping tax cuts so reckless the incumbent government thought it must be a campaign gimmick. The finance minister at the time, Mangala Samaraweera, called a briefing to assail the “dangerous” pledge to reduce the value-added tax to 8% from 15% and scrap other levies. To him, it was simple math: Sri Lanka collected relatively less revenue than nearly any other country, and its high debt load had forced it to seek cash from the International Monetary Fund. KEEP READING list of 4 items list 1 of 4 No Sri Lankan, rich or poor, spared as economic crisis worsens list 2 of 4 Sri Lanka doctors warn of ‘catastrophe’ as medicines run low list 3 of 4 IMF says Sri Lanka needs to be on a sustainable debt path list 4 of 4 What’s the way out of Sri Lanka’s economic crisis? end of list “If these proposals are implemented like this not only will the entire country go bankrupt,” the minister warned...

    Posted on April 29, 2022 "Once war is forced upon us, there is no alternative than to apply every available means to bring it to a swift end. War’s very object is victory – not prolonged indecision." So said Gen. Douglas MacArthur in his April 1951 address to Congress after being fired by President Harry Truman as commander in chief in the Korean War. And what is now America’s goal with our massive infusion into the Ukraine war of new and heavier NATO weapons? Said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on his return from a Sunday meeting in Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: The United States wants "to see Russia weakened to the point where it can’t do things like invade Ukraine." "Russia," said Austin, has "already lost a lot of military capability and a lot of its troops … and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability." Thus, the new, or newly revealed, goal of U.S. policy in Ukraine is not just th...

 To read this article, click herre: https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-israeli-nuclear-whistle-blower-vanunu-eternal-prisoner-of-zion-1.10767068 

  On April 20, bulldozers rolled into the north Delhi neighborhood of   Jahangirpuri   on the orders of local authorities. The bulldozers razed several buildings in the area, including the entrance gate of a mosque as well as homes and shops of Muslims. While local police and political officials claimed that the structures were being bulldozed as they were illegal, authorities  stopped  a bulldozer from mowing down the entrance of a Hindu temple that was situated just 50 meters from the mosque. It is evident that the bulldozing activity was aimed at  intimidating Muslims  only, destroying their homes, livelihoods, and places of worship. It is part of a systematic campaign by Hindutva activists to wipe out Muslims and their way of life. Among those whose livelihood was destroyed on Wednesday was 42-year-old Aijaz. His wooden cart, which he used to use to sell vegetables in the neighborhood, was missing. Among the rubble of buildings and shops in Jahangi...

  Anti-Muslim violence has been escalating in India with   state-sponsored attacks on Muslims   and   open calls for genocide   becoming increasingly common. On the other hand, through strategic campaigns and   the dissemination of misinformation and propaganda   on social media platforms and primetime news channels, right-wing groups have made   Hindus believe in their victimhood . They have convinced the majority that the only way they can protect their rights and freedom is by eliminating Muslims from the country. “Hindus are under threat,” “Muslims should be treated as second class citizens,” and “Secularism marginalizes India's Hindus” were the top narrative frames present in media items in the CMO research. Less than a week after  India witnessed communal clashes and riots in several states  on April 10, 2022, during the celebration of  Ram Navami  (a festival to celebrate the Hindu god Rama),  similar violence broke...

  Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's stand on recent religious violence in India's capital and the subsequent police crackdown on Muslims may be politically expedient, but critics question whether it's moral, writes the BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi. An anti-corruption crusader, Mr Kejriwal entered politics a decade ago promising to clean up the political system and focus on development. In Delhi, where his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been in power since 2013, they have been credited with turning around government-run schools, setting up affordable neighbourhood clinics and providing cheap water and electricity. Recently, they expanded their footprint to Punjab by  sweeping the state election . Mr Kejriwal has often said that his party believes in equality of all religions and justice for all. In a country where politics relies heavily on caste and religious divisions, many found AAP's promise to refrain from "divisive politics" refreshing and hoped it wou...