Strike hits normal life in Kerala

Posted on: 28 Feb 2012

Normal life was disrupted in Kerala on Tuesday due to the country-wide strike called by central trade unions to protest the 'anti-labour' policies of the UPA government.
Buses kept off the roads and shops were closed in the state. The strike also affected functioning of banks and offices as pro-Left unions in the state sector also joined the protest against the 'neo-liberal economic and labour policies' pursued by the UPA Government at the Centre.
The Congress-led UDF Government in the state has enforced 'dies non' (no work-no pay) order against the strike in government offices.
Early reports from across the state said in most places the mobility of people was hit as the impact of the strike was near total in the transport sector with buses, taxis and autorickshaws keeping off the road.
The rail traffic, however, was not affected and no blockade was reported from anywhere in the early hours. There was no disruption in electricity or water supply and the health sector exempted from the strike.

Strike hits normal life in Kerala

Posted on: 28 Feb 2012

Normal life was disrupted in Kerala on Tuesday due to the country-wide strike called by central trade unions to protest the 'anti-labour' policies of the UPA government.
Buses kept off the roads and shops were closed in the state. The strike also affected functioning of banks and offices as pro-Left unions in the state sector also joined the protest against the 'neo-liberal economic and labour policies' pursued by the UPA Government at the Centre.
The Congress-led UDF Government in the state has enforced 'dies non' (no work-no pay) order against the strike in government offices.
Early reports from across the state said in most places the mobility of people was hit as the impact of the strike was near total in the transport sector with buses, taxis and autorickshaws keeping off the road.
The rail traffic, however, was not affected and no blockade was reported from anywhere in the early hours. There was no disruption in electricity or water supply and the health sector exempted from the strike.

All-India trade unions strike hits banking, transport services

Posted on: 28 Feb 2012

Millions of workers of all political hues have gone on strike across India on Tuesday to express their anger at soaring prices and to back demands for improved rights for employees, trade unions and political activists said. 

The strike, which includes workers from state-run phone companies, bus drivers and postal workers, is a new headache for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government as it grapples with weakening economic growth and faces elections in several states. 

Workers linked to the ruling Congress party have also joined the protest and have promised further action if their demands are not met. 
The protests are not expected to significantly affect banks and financial markets in Asia's third-largest economy, but traders said there could be some volatility in the bond market if volumes are lower than normal. 

'Volumes could be lower, but settlement should happen,' said a senior dealer at a state-run bank. The strikers have a long list of demands. Among them, they want the government to take measures to contain inflation, provide universal social security cover for workers in the vast unorganised labour sector, and to stop selling stakes in state-run companies. 

'We will have to think about our future course of action if the government does not come forward with proposals on how it will react to our demands,' G. Sanjeeva Reddy, president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress, the ruling party's trade union, said. 
Hit by high interest rates, stubborn inflation and a stuttering reform agenda, India's economy is expected to grow by about 7% in the fiscal year ending March, compared with earlier expectations of about 9% growth. 

Singh's government has faced a slew of protests since winning a second term in 2009, denting the Congress party's image as a defender of the poor. The party is currently fighting five state elections, including one in Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state. 
Tuesday's strike will be the 14th general strike since India opened up its economy with major reforms in 1991. 

All-India trade unions strike hits banking, transport services

Posted on: 28 Feb 2012

Millions of workers of all political hues have gone on strike across India on Tuesday to express their anger at soaring prices and to back demands for improved rights for employees, trade unions and political activists said. 

The strike, which includes workers from state-run phone companies, bus drivers and postal workers, is a new headache for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government as it grapples with weakening economic growth and faces elections in several states. 

Workers linked to the ruling Congress party have also joined the protest and have promised further action if their demands are not met. 
The protests are not expected to significantly affect banks and financial markets in Asia's third-largest economy, but traders said there could be some volatility in the bond market if volumes are lower than normal. 

'Volumes could be lower, but settlement should happen,' said a senior dealer at a state-run bank. The strikers have a long list of demands. Among them, they want the government to take measures to contain inflation, provide universal social security cover for workers in the vast unorganised labour sector, and to stop selling stakes in state-run companies. 

'We will have to think about our future course of action if the government does not come forward with proposals on how it will react to our demands,' G. Sanjeeva Reddy, president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress, the ruling party's trade union, said. 
Hit by high interest rates, stubborn inflation and a stuttering reform agenda, India's economy is expected to grow by about 7% in the fiscal year ending March, compared with earlier expectations of about 9% growth. 

Singh's government has faced a slew of protests since winning a second term in 2009, denting the Congress party's image as a defender of the poor. The party is currently fighting five state elections, including one in Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state. 
Tuesday's strike will be the 14th general strike since India opened up its economy with major reforms in 1991. 

Dow Chemicals appointed Stratfor to spy on Bhopal activists: WikiLeaks

AFP | Feb 27, 2012, 07.36PM IST

Article

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Read More:Wikileaks|US Department Of Homeland Security|US Defense Intelligence Agency|Union Carbide|Rolling Stone Magazine|Lockheed Martin|La Repubblica|Julian Assange|George Friedman|Dow Chemicals|Bradley Manning|Bhopal Gas Tragedy Activists|Bhopal Gas Tragedy

1

File photo of a Bhopal gas victim being buried. (December 1984 photo by Prakash Hatvalne)

LONDON: Whistleblowing website WikiLeakstoday began publishing more than five million confidential emails from US-based intelligence firm Stratfor, the anti-secrecy group said.

The messages, which date from between July 2004 and December 2011, will reveal Stratfor's "web of informers, pay-off structure, payment-laundering techniques and psychological methods," claimed a WikiLeaks press release.

"The material shows how a private intelligence agency works, and how they target individuals for their corporate and government clients," added the press release.

The messages show that Dow Chemicals used Stratfor to monitor and analyse the online activities of activists seeking redress for the 1984 Dow Chemical/Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal.

The online organisation claims to have proof of the firm's confidential links to large corporations, such as Bhopal's Dow Chemical Co and Lockheed Martin and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defense Intelligence Agency.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is currently in Britain fighting extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning on rape and sexual assault allegations, and WikiLeaks has long expressed concern that if he is sent to Sweden, Stockholm would quickly send him on to theUnited States.

Washington is eager to lay hands on the founder after the organisation's publication of hundreds of thousands of classified US diplomatic files.

WikiLeaks promises that the latest leak will highlight Stratfor's attempts to "subvert" the website and expose the US's attempts to "attack" Assange.

Stratfor, which was founded by George Friedman in 1996, describes itself as "a subscription-based provider of geopolitical analysis."

"Unlike traditional news outlets, Stratfor uses a unique, intelligence-based approach to gathering information via rigorous open-source monitoring and a global network of human sources," according to the Texas-based firm's website.

The company promises subscribers will "gain a thorough understanding of international affairs, including what's happening, why it's happening, and what will happen next."

WikiLeaks predicts that the significance of the emails will only become clear over the next few weeks as its 25 media partners and the public sift through the raft of messages.

Its media partners include Rolling Stone magazine, The Hindu newspaper and Italy's La Repubblica.

The group claims to have found evidence that Stratfor gave a complimentary membership toPakistan general Hamid Gul, former head of Pakistan's ISI intelligence service, who, according to US diplomatic cables, planned an IED attack against international forces in Afghanistan in 2006.

The group also alleges it has proof that Stratfor monitored and analysed the online activities of activists seeking redress for the 1984 Dow Chemical/Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal, India.

Bradley Manning, the man suspected of turning over a massive cache of classified US documents to the secret-spilling site, on Thursday declined to enter a plea at his arraignment.

Manning, a 24-year-old US army private, is charged with 22 counts in connection with one of the biggest intelligence breaches in US history.

WikiLeaks was due to hold a press conference at London's Frontline Club later today.

Dow Chemicals appointed Stratfor to spy on Bhopal activists: WikiLeaks

AFP | Feb 27, 2012, 07.36PM IST

Article

Comments (1)

Read More:Wikileaks|US Department Of Homeland Security|US Defense Intelligence Agency|Union Carbide|Rolling Stone Magazine|Lockheed Martin|La Repubblica|Julian Assange|George Friedman|Dow Chemicals|Bradley Manning|Bhopal Gas Tragedy Activists|Bhopal Gas Tragedy

1

File photo of a Bhopal gas victim being buried. (December 1984 photo by Prakash Hatvalne)

LONDON: Whistleblowing website WikiLeakstoday began publishing more than five million confidential emails from US-based intelligence firm Stratfor, the anti-secrecy group said.

The messages, which date from between July 2004 and December 2011, will reveal Stratfor's "web of informers, pay-off structure, payment-laundering techniques and psychological methods," claimed a WikiLeaks press release.

"The material shows how a private intelligence agency works, and how they target individuals for their corporate and government clients," added the press release.

The messages show that Dow Chemicals used Stratfor to monitor and analyse the online activities of activists seeking redress for the 1984 Dow Chemical/Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal.

The online organisation claims to have proof of the firm's confidential links to large corporations, such as Bhopal's Dow Chemical Co and Lockheed Martin and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defense Intelligence Agency.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is currently in Britain fighting extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning on rape and sexual assault allegations, and WikiLeaks has long expressed concern that if he is sent to Sweden, Stockholm would quickly send him on to theUnited States.

Washington is eager to lay hands on the founder after the organisation's publication of hundreds of thousands of classified US diplomatic files.

WikiLeaks promises that the latest leak will highlight Stratfor's attempts to "subvert" the website and expose the US's attempts to "attack" Assange.

Stratfor, which was founded by George Friedman in 1996, describes itself as "a subscription-based provider of geopolitical analysis."

"Unlike traditional news outlets, Stratfor uses a unique, intelligence-based approach to gathering information via rigorous open-source monitoring and a global network of human sources," according to the Texas-based firm's website.

The company promises subscribers will "gain a thorough understanding of international affairs, including what's happening, why it's happening, and what will happen next."

WikiLeaks predicts that the significance of the emails will only become clear over the next few weeks as its 25 media partners and the public sift through the raft of messages.

Its media partners include Rolling Stone magazine, The Hindu newspaper and Italy's La Repubblica.

The group claims to have found evidence that Stratfor gave a complimentary membership toPakistan general Hamid Gul, former head of Pakistan's ISI intelligence service, who, according to US diplomatic cables, planned an IED attack against international forces in Afghanistan in 2006.

The group also alleges it has proof that Stratfor monitored and analysed the online activities of activists seeking redress for the 1984 Dow Chemical/Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal, India.

Bradley Manning, the man suspected of turning over a massive cache of classified US documents to the secret-spilling site, on Thursday declined to enter a plea at his arraignment.

Manning, a 24-year-old US army private, is charged with 22 counts in connection with one of the biggest intelligence breaches in US history.

WikiLeaks was due to hold a press conference at London's Frontline Club later today.