Media: March 2005 Archives

PROUTIST UNIVERSAL, 30 March 2005: The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has published a new report called Planting the Rights Seed: A Human Rights Perspective on Agriculture Trade and the WTO, which states clearly that the World Trade Organization (WTO) is promoting a trade agenda which supports globalization (global capitalism) and in the process will undermine the poor people as well as deny people their fundamental human rights. Seventy percent of the world’s poorest live in rural areas and sustain themselves on agriculture.

[Proutist Universal Editorial Note: In the following article Garda Ghista makes a comprehensive analysis on the role of journalists in making the members of the human society aware against all sorts of corruption, collusion, nepotisms and exploitations. In many countries the freedom of press is suppressed and also due to the influence of capitalism where profit or money making is the only motivation, the capitalistic owners of the media companies use the talents of the journalists for fulfilling their selfiss purpose of making profit. By the power of money they force the talented journalists to twist many facts by indulging in falsehood. The author here gives a clarion call to all journalists of the world to be ever watchful of every nook and cranny of the society - especially the politicians (leaders). It is only through their writings common people can become aware about the misdeeds of the leaders so that they are mobilized to take immediate action to rectify any wrongdoings of the leaders, the politicians, capitalists and the priests who lead (or mislead) the masses. The author, Garda Ghista is a freelance journalist based in Kentucky, USA. She can be reached at editor@worldproutassembly.org. Please click here to read the complete article in PDF.]

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An Indian woman committed suicide so her two blind sons could receive her eyes and see, a newspaper reported Monday.

But doctors say the chances of success are bleak, The Indian Express reported.

THE MASS media are helpful in raising public awareness of corruption cases. In fact, because of media coverage, there is generally less corruption in countries with free access to information.

As put by the director of the Organization of American States, "the media are civil society's great ally, especially in fulfilling the need to inform, in a serious and responsible way, so the citizens can exert pressure to clean up cases of corruption."

Siddique Islam (National News Service), Dhaka, Friday, March 11: Hartal has cost Bangladesh 3–4 per cent of its GDP on an average every year between 1991 and 2000, said a United Nations Development Programme Report (UNDP), which was released in Dhaka Thursday last.

MY FATHER, Shah A.M.S. Kibria, was assassinated on Jan. 27. He was 73 years old. In his lifetime he had held various senior positions in Bangladesh and abroad, including finance minister of Bangladesh, undersecretary general of the United Nations and executive secretary of Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and foreign secretary of Bangladesh. At the time of his death my father was a leading member of the opposition in Parliament and a regular newspaper and magazine columnist.

Siddique Islam (National News Service), Dhaka, Thursday, March 03: Leader of the Opposition and the Awami League President Sheikh Hasina Wednesday asked people to form action committees with pro-liberation and progressive forces across the country and fight unitedly against the coalition government to end its 'misrule.'

JAKARTA (Agencies): Hundreds of people hit the streets across Java on Tuesday to protest against sharp fuel price hikes -- an average of nearly 30 percent.

Protests took place in at least 10 cities and towns, as anger grew over the government's decision to raise fuel costs.