South Asia
Afghanistan election debacle deepens as Abdullah pulls out of runoff
By Bill Van Auken, November 2, 2009
The Obama administration’s crisis over its planned escalation of the war in Afghanistan deepened over the weekend with the decision by President Hamid Karzai’s challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, to pu...
US makes cynical overture to Sri Lanka over war crimes
By Wije Dias, October 31, 2009
The US State Department has issued a report detailing Sri Lankan army atrocities in the final months of the country’s civil war. Its purpose, however, is not to bring war criminals to justice, but t...
Indian auto dispute sparks mass protest, shuts Ford Canada plant
By Kranti Kumara, October 30, 2009
Last week more than 100,000 workers from some 70 plants in the Gurgaon-Manesar area walked off the job to show support for the Rico workers’ struggle and protest the murder of a Rico striker by comp...
Attack on UN in Kabul in lead-up to sham Afghan election
By Peter Symonds, October 29, 2009
An attack by Taliban fighters on a UN guesthouse in the Afghan capital, Kabul, has underscored the fragility of the US-led occupation in the lead-up to the second round of presidential elections on No...
Pakistani army offensive devastates tribal communities
By James Cogan, October 28, 2009
The military offensive into South Waziristan is having a devastating impact on the entire civilian population. Villages and towns are literally being bombed into rubble and tens of thousands of people...
Sri Lanka: Plantation unions accept wage sell-out
By M. Vasanthan, October 28, 2009
All the plantation unions, including those that initially opposed it, have effectively fallen into line behind a deal that binds workers to poverty-level wages and productivity speed-up for the next t...
October the bloodiest month for US troops since Afghan war began
By Bill Van Auken, October 28, 2009
The deaths of eight more soldiers in bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan Tuesday made October the bloodiest month for US occupation forces since the war began in 2001.
Sri Lanka: Petroleum unions call off work-to-rule bans
By W.A Sunil, October 27, 2009
Unions called off a work-to-rule campaign by petroleum workers in the expectation of talks yesterday over wages. However, the Sri Lankan president rejected outright any pay rise before next year.
US casualties rise as Obama prepares Afghan escalation
By Bill Van Auken, October 27, 2009
Eleven US soldiers and three drug agents were killed in the space of 24 hours in Afghanistan as the Obama administration’s war cabinet prepared to meet Monday on escalating the war.
The runoff farce in Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken, October 26, 2009
The crisis over the fraudulent election in Afghanistan, culminating in President Karzai’s acceptance of a runoff, has laid bare the colonial character of the US occupation and the puppet status of t...
The Sri Lankan government’s “resettlement” of Tamil detainees
By Sarath Kumara, October 26, 2009
The government last Thursday carried out a much-publicised resettlement of around 6,000 Tamil detainees held in internment camps. Every aspect of the exercise was a fraud designed to deflect criticism...
Tensions between India and China flare again
By John Chan, October 23, 2009
The immediate spark was a visit by the Indian prime minister to the northern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The trip provoked a protest from Beijing, which disputes Indian control of the area, resulting ...
