Day: December 19, 2019

‘US cares deeply about protecting minorities’

In remarks that are bound to worry New Delhi soon after the Indo-US 2+2 Dialogue at the foreign and defence ministerial level in Washington, a United States state department official on Thursday said the US has been “concerned about the religious criteria” in India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)” even as US secretary of state Michael R. Pompeo said his country “cares deeply and always will about protecting minorities and religious rights everywhere”. Mr. Pompeo, however, said the US “honours Indian democracy as they have a robust debate on the issue.” In New Delhi, the ministry of External (MEA) said that while the CAA issue is India’s “internal matter” and did not figure in the 2+2 Dialogue, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar had conveyed the Indian government’s “perspective” on the CAA “with the leadership of the (US) Senate foreign relations committee”.
— Read on www.asianage.com/india/all-india/201219/us-cares-deeply-about-protecting-minorities.html

Jokesters!

Steve Bannon’s nationalists can stay in medieval monastery (for now)

In the first round of a lengthy legal battle, an Italian court has ruled in favour of a right-wing Catholic organisation which the Ministry of Culture is trying to oust from a historic abbey


— Read on web.archive.org/web/20191219233809/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/steve-bannon-s-nationalists-can-stay-in-medieval-monastery-for-now

or

An Italian Court Says Steve Bannon’s Far-Right Group Can Fight Its Eviction From a Medieval Monastery

A plague on both political parties

But in excluding all democratic issues that would succeed in mobilizing the population against Trump, the Democrats have actually played into the hands of the President, who has sought to mobilize his fascistic base on the grounds that he is a victim of a “deep state” plot.
The central lie peddled by Trump is to equate the Democrats’ efforts to remove him—together with those of the intelligence agencies and media—with socialism. This is his label for any form of popular opposition to his administration. In the traditions of fascism, Trump falsely presents himself as the victim of a conspiracy between the “elites,” socialists and communists.
— Read on www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/19/pers-d19.html