Protests, strike shut down Tunisian town over Libya's halt of border trade
Tunisian security forces use tear gas on hundreds of people protesting against border closure in southern town Ben Guerdane 

Ben Guerdane is one of Tunisia's poorest towns (AFP) 

Tunisian officials said security forces used tear gas on hundreds of people protesting against the border closure in Ben Guerdane.

Wednesday 11 May 2016

A town in southern Tunisia went on strike again on Wednesday, days after clashes broke out with police over an earlier strike. Residents are protesting a decision by Libyan authorities to halt cross-border trade on which its economy depends.

Tunisian officials said security forces used tear gas on hundreds of people protesting against the border closure in Ben Guerdane.

"Around 1,000 people rallied outside local government offices and set tyres ablaze in protest against a Libyan decision to close the Ras Jedir border crossing," Interior Ministry spokesman Yasser Mesbah said.

Ras Jedir is the main frontier between western Libya and southeastern Tunisia, a region whose economy is largely dependent on cross-border trade, both legitimate and illicit.

Security personnel fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, Mesbah added.

Shops and offices in Ben Guerdane, a town of 60,000, were all closed in response to the strike called by the UGTT main trade union confederation, according to reports. Only the hospital emergency department, a pharmacy and some schools remained open.

On Monday, police had used tear gas to disperse a protest by hundreds of demonstrators.

Ben Guerdane is one of the North African nation's poorest towns and was in the news in recently after Islamic State (IS) group militants crossed over from Libya and tried to storm the town before being repelled by angry residents. Seven civilians and 13 security personnel as well as 55 militants were killed in the failed invasion in early March.

Authorities closed the border after the attack, putting a further stranglehold on the town, which had already been hard-hit by years of violence in neighbouring Libya.

Since April, Libyan border officials have stopped the flow of merchandise across the border, sparking anger among residents.

A Libyan official, Hafedh Moammar, said at the time that the border was closed amid "harassment" of Libyan travellers and to stop the flow of smuggled fuel.

In March, Tunisia closed two border crossings with Libya for two weeks in response to the IS attack on Ben Guerdane.

The governor of the Tunisian town of Medenine, Tahar Matmati, said Libya also wanted to impose a "unified tax" on all products crossing the frontier.

In April, however, Libyan border officials halted all freight traffic through the local Ras Jedir crossing in a bid to stop the smuggling of fuel from Libya, where it is much cheaper than in Tunisia.

Negotiations focused on customs duties have so far failed to reach a settlement.

Despite oppressive heat, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the union offices in Ben Guerdane, but a planned march failed to take place.

"They tell us there are contacts (with the Libyan side), but we don't see anything. We want radical solutions at Ras Jedir. The people are very dissatisfied," local UGTT official Mohsen Lachiheb said.

A man in his 30s who asked not to be identified blamed the town's economic woes on Tunisia's politicians.

"In March, we faced a terrorist attack. They wanted to kill us with bullets. Our politicians want to kill us with their policies," he said angrily.

Several tyres were earlier set alight on the town's streets, but there was no intervention by a large number of police present.

Tunisia has also built a 200-kilometre (125-mile) barrier stretching about half the length of its border with Libya in an attempt to prevent militants from infiltrating.

Meanwhile, four policemen and three suspected militants were killed during security operations on Wednesday near the capital and in southern Tunisia, in the latest violence to hit the country, officials said.

The policemen were killed when a militant detonated his explosives belt after a firefight erupted in the Tatouine governorate, the Interior Ministry said.

Who rules the world? America is no longer the obvious answer

Challenged from all sides, the US is losing its tight grip on international power,Noam Chomsky writes, as world public opinion becomes a ‘second superpower’

 ‘We cannot gain a realistic understanding of who rules the world while ignoring the masters of mankind.’ Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP-- Riot police line up outside a closed branch of the National Bank of Greece during a general strike in protest against austerity measures. Photograph: Milos Bicanski/Getty Images

 Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin before a meeting at the UN General Assembly in 2015. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters--Marines pick out enemy targets as they receive incoming fire in Main Poshteh, Afghanistan. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Noam Chomsky for TomDispatch-Monday 9 May 2016

When we ask “who rules the world?” we commonly adopt the standard convention that the actors in world affairs are states, primarily the great powers, and we consider their decisions and the relations among them. That is not wrong. But we would do well to keep in mind that this level of abstraction can also be highly misleading.

States, of course, have complex internal structures, and the choices and decisions of the political leadership are heavily influenced by internal concentrations of power, while the general population is often marginalized. That is true even for the more democratic societies, and obviously for others. We cannot gain a realistic understanding of who rules the world while ignoring the “masters of mankind”, as Adam Smith called them: in his day, the merchants and manufacturers of England; in ours, multinational conglomerates, huge financial institutions, retail empires and the like.

Still following Smith, it is also wise to attend to the “vile maxim” to which the “masters of mankind” are dedicated: “All for ourselves and nothing for other people” – a doctrine known otherwise as bitter and incessant class war, often one-sided, much to the detriment of the people of the home country and the world.

In the contemporary global order, the institutions of the masters hold enormous power, not only in the international arena but also within their home states, on which they rely to protect their power and to provide economic support by a wide variety of means.

When we consider the role of the masters of mankind, we turn to such state policy priorities of the moment as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the investor-rights agreements mislabeled “free-trade agreements” in propaganda and commentary. They are negotiated in secret, apart from the hundreds of corporate lawyers and lobbyists writing the crucial details. The intention is to have them adopted in good Stalinist style with “fast track” procedures designed to block discussion and allow only the choice of yes or no (hence yes).

The designers regularly do quite well, not surprisingly. People are incidental, with the consequences one might anticipate.

The second superpower    Read More

A contribution to political science!- Ishara De Silva

May 10, 2016

The trend towards American-style democracy, he insists, even in countries like Britain, are a knee-jerk reaction to the Cold War and misuse of socialist principles, thereafter, throughout the world, with the exception of welfare states.

Also lacking in "progressive politics" throughout Europe and beyond has been the inability of many to "think outside the box", something he says he has tried to do, not only in his thinking towards political philosophy, but also in other areas during his period in journalism.

A number of political pundits have refused to react to his innovation of a new, peaceful political concept, coined as You-Valuism, signifying the idea of a selfless polity, beyond capitalism and socialism!, claiming it is not up to strict "academic" standards.The non-reaction comes after the first attempt to send his political philosophy to leading figures within the politics sector, and as the issue of "religious fundamentalism" hits the spotlight in the international media week after week.His contribution to political science originated as an "ah ha" moment from casual conversations on selfishness and co-operation within private circles, resulting in him eventually eyeing religion, in its purest, non-harmful form, as transcending both - but in an organic progression!!!!! "You-Valuism isn't an attack on any system of belief, anywhere in the world of politics, currently existing, but it is a futuristic idea, which humans could, conceivably, bring into being, one day, to help overcome some of the long-standing inequalities and injustices that exist, globally, as well as ignite the more divine qualities in mankind's human potential," he said. "You-Valuism - the idea of selflessness in politics - isn't totally new. But that of the nature of the state being selfless - at core - internationally, and systemically, is - more so! No "big" ideology or state philosophy, advocates such political-altruism. Many religions, in their most unadulterated form, non-radicalised, however, do, even if mainly societally, primarily," he went on. You-Valuism's path: 
                               
1. Crime - No-Value                                  
2. Capitalism - Me-Value                                  
3. Socialism - Us-Value                                  
4. You-Valuism - You-ValueIts goal:                                    

Political Selflessness"In religion, the notion of selflessness exists as a common bond that transcends all religious divides. In alternative areas, however, it is less evident. It is not, for instance, ideologically apparent in other "progressive" belief systems like socialism, in the sense that they tend not to use even the language of selflessness, despite, the value, being, in some ways, implicit, in their ideas," he added."You-Valuism, however, exploits it, explicitly, which takes it, now, to a higher level in the socio-political hierarchy, I see! But making You-Valuism politically appealing in the current climate, is a harder challenge, in a world where material freedom is more cherished than enlightenment," he argues. "Often lacking a presence, particularly, in western philosophical thought - though not western religion - the idea of selflessness, is more closer in proximity to the continental east, a large chunk, fortunately, of the global populace, but its allure, fundamentally, for all, is this: in a global system designed to promote the well being of others, You-Valuism leads us closer to being, not just physically, but spiritually free as well."This is De Silva's first attempt to make sense of international politics beyond accepted paradigms since leaving his editorship of a British-based national newspaper for South Asia's diaspora in the UK. There, he gave publicity to all the conflicts in the South Asian region offering peaceful solutions in the region's long, drawn out high-profile conflict spots, even once hiding a full-page analysis to promote peace in Sri Lanka, for which he was summoned to the Chairman's office for an offence.

Former UK Editor, Ishara de Silva, a journalist, Buddhist & now part-time political philosopher, has said that, despite not being a qualified scientist of politics, his ideas in the field are novel, non-violent and in line with the expected, natural evolution of the disciple, in practise.

India to take on defaulters as parliament approves bankruptcy bill

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) speaks with the media inside the parliament premises upon in New Delhi, India, February 23, 2016.REUTERS/ADNAN ABIDI/FILES

 Wed May 11, 2016 

The Rajya Sabha passed a new bankruptcy code on Wednesday, as the opposition swung behind measures to take tougher action against corporate defaulters and help banks recover over $120 billion in troubled loans.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who completes two years in office this month, had promised to introduce the code to address bank debts and improve ease of doing business in Asia's third largest economy.

India's efforts to clip the wings of high-profile debtors suffered a setback in March when tycoon Vijay Mallya flew to London as bankers pressed him to repay about $1.4 billion owed by his defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

The insolvency and bankruptcy code, earlier passed by the Lok Sabha, will strengthen hands of lenders to recover outstanding debts by setting a deadline of 180 days for companies to pay or face liquidation.

"This is something which should put company promoters on guard," said M.R. Umarji, adviser to the Indian Banks' Association. "They will think twice before committing a default."

He said the bankers could initiate provisions of the law in ongoing default cases once the insolvency court and other required institutions were set up.

The World Bank estimates that winding up an ailing company in India typically takes four years, or twice as long as in China and Russia, with an average recovery of 25.7 cents on the dollar, one of the worst rates in emerging markets.

Under the new law, a debtor could be jailed for up to five years for concealing property or defrauding creditors. Bankrupt individuals would be barred from contesting elections as well.

Bankers say the courts are usually reluctant to sign "death warrants" against defaulting companies to safeguard jobs, often resulting in delays in winding-up procedures and poor loan recoveries.

The new law virtually empowers creditors to decide whether a defaulter is declared insolvent or not, though legally their decision could still be challenged in the higher courts.

Currently, over 70,000 liquidation cases are pending in debt recovery tribunals and courts.

Nikhil Shah, managing director of a consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal in India, said the law could unlock billions of dollars stuck in ailing firms but will not be easy to implement due to India's cumbersome legal system.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar; editing by John Stonestreet)

‘Everything is connected’

Gandhian Ela Bhatt presents the idea of building holistic, mutually beneficial communities in her new book ‘Anubandh’

Anubandh by Ela R. Bhatt

• MAHESH LANGA-May 8, 2016

In her latest book Anubandh, noted Gandhian and the force behind the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Ela Bhatt, makes an appeal to build holistic and mutually beneficial communities to cater to the basic needs of daily life: food (including water), clothing, education, health, housing, education and banking.  

Bhatt presents the idea of creating local communities within a 100-mile radius to cater to livelihoods and sustainable living. In a way, this originates from Gandhi’s belief of self-sustaining communities. 

According to her, if mutually beneficial communities are organised and built to take care of local needs, many issues related to poverty, exploitation and environmental degradation can be solved to a large extent. “It was the lack of local resources to meet the primary needs of life… that rendered rural communities vulnerable to poverty, exploitation and migration. If we could meet local needs with locally generated resources, we could benefit the local economy, the local ecology, and the local community,” says the book.  

The book is based on Bhatt’s experience in building networks of poor women in villages in India and elsewhere through SEWA, making more than a million women self-reliant and self-employed. It draws from the day-to-day experiences of women who were brought together to create ‘water communities’ or ‘tool libraries’ or to build cooperative societies of producers and sellers of vegetables or forest produce.

“I am aware that ‘anubandh’ and the building of 100-mile communities may sound impractical or just a little simplistic to counter the problems the world faces today. Problems of food security, violence, starvation and ecological imbalance that governments and august international bodies grapple with are overwhelming to the people who experience them day after day,” says the octogenarian author, who is a member of The Elders, founded by Nelson Mandela. Interestingly, the term ‘anubandh’ was first used by two leading Gandhians, Vinoba Bhave and Kaka Kalelkar, but apparently, Gandhi himself never used it.   

In an interview, the author explains the idea behind ‘anubandh’ and how it can be implemented. Excerpts:  

What is ‘anubandh’ and how did the concept come into being? 

‘Anubandh’ is an ancient Indian word. It is also found in the Bhagavad Gita. It has been used in ‘Nai Talim’ or new education as a follow-up to Gandhiji’s idea of Swaraj. In a larger sense, to me, what it means is that everything is connected. I am connected to you and you to me and we to our air and our air to our water and plants and plastic and chemicals and pollution, and so on. In modern science, we call it an ecosystem. Over five decades of organising poor women of SEWA, I have realised how this endless web of connection exists, what potential it offers for promoting mutuality and how we neglect it more and more in our so-called development process as we strive to ‘remove’ poverty and grab prosperity. 

Tell us about your experiences while forging communities or networks through SEWA.

This realisation grew from my work with almost two million poor women members of SEWA over the decades. Their struggle for minimum wages was related to the spread of global capitalism and their need for credit was related to new emerging international markets.

Their access to the market was related to their level of education or, more recently, to computer skills, and so on. Credit matched with insurance had more impact. Income matched with asset-building removed poverty faster. Beyond SEWA, recently, youth in colleges in Delhi have called me to discuss this concept and its implementation. There is so much energy in our youth! 

Is building 100-mile communities a solution for basic issues like availability of drinking water or affordable healthcare?  

‘Anubandh’ is not a solution. It is a way for us to think about what we do and plan ahead. It is not for me or the poor or women, but for all — including the youth — to think before acting; what will be the impact of my action or decision on another person, the community, ecology and natural resources. We may think about ‘anubandh’ while buying our vegetables.

When we buy vegetables from a street vendor, what is the impact on his life; or the impact on a mall owner on buying vegetables from his mall? We may think of ‘anubandh’ while deciding where to invest our savings; or even when we hear of national programmes such as Smart Cities or Start up India, water harvesting, recycling, afforestation or solar energy.

In ‘anubandh’, have you seen any role for the private sector since the government’s role is shrinking in critical social sector areas such as education and health? 

‘Anubandh’ is for all. ‘Anubandh’ has no sides, it is a circle — sprawling, touching everything. The big corporate private sector has a big role. Small private businesses have an even bigger role in using ‘anubandh’ as an idea. Social impact investors, chief executive officers and heads of corporate social responsibility in national and international firms have read this book and organised discussions to find out what they can do. The private sector can think about where its natural resources come from.

What is the impact of its product or service on the lives and environment of local communities? The banking sector can think about how their lending can add to the well-being of the people and the environment around their branch offices, and so on. The more thoughtful the decisions, the more shared the prosperity, and shared prosperity sustains longer.

How to Invade Your Own Privacy So the Government Doesn’t Have To

In 2002, the FBI mistakenly identified Hasan Elahi as a terrorist. Since then, he’s offered free self-surveillance, posting more than 80,000 pictures online for the bureau — and the world — to see.

By Hasan Elahi-May 10, 2016

The selfie gets little respect as an art form. Snapping an image of one’s face with a phone held at arm’s length and sharing it with the world certainly seems hollow and narcissistic. But I view the selfie differently. In the age of the War on Terror, it can be a highly political act — whether the shooter realizes it or not.

Driven by fears of terrorist attacks and leaks of state secrets, the U.S. government has doubled down on surveillance. I know this fact well. In 2002, I was mistakenly accused of being a terrorist and investigated by the FBI. After the debacle, I decided to help the bureau out by taking pictures of my every mundane move and location: airports I transited through, food I ate, hotel beds where I slept, even the toilets that I used. Then I would post the photos online, where the FBI — along with anyone else — could see them. Over the past 14 years, I have posted more than 80,000 pictures, taken with various generations of cameras and phones. These selfies are different from most; they aren’t of my face, as I’ve decided to turn the camera around. Yet they offer an ever-open window into my “self” as it wanders through and interacts with the world.

The images are deliberately unorganized on a website that does not have a user-friendly interface. A lot of time, focus, and energy, by an FBI agent or other viewer, would be required to thread together the thousands of points of information. This is how self-documentation at once mimics and defies state surveillance: My selfies are acts of aggressive compliance, telling both everything and nothing about me. They create a barrage of public information so vast that it is little more than noise — data camouflage that affords me a relatively anonymous life.

On a far broader scale, the millions of selfies taken each day (if not each hour) blur the vision of watchful governments. With the widespread use of digital tools, we have perhaps as many producers of information on the planet as we have consumers. The collection of data, generated at an ever-increasing rate, is no longer as important as the overwhelming task of analyzing everything that is archived. People maintain privacy by living publicly.

Conflicts have often midwifed new artistic expression: World War I and Dadaism, World War II and abstract expressionism, Vietnam and pop art. Today, “selfism” is following in these revered footsteps. It’s no coincidence, I would argue, that many selfies imitate the vantage point of security cameras: taken from a high angle, looking down at the subject, as though from a lens suspended in the corner of a room. The post-9/11 era is shaping an art form that can both acknowledge and resist governments’ overreach into private lives.

A version of this article originally appeared in the May/June 2016 issue of  FP magazine under the title “Hidden in Plain Sight.”

 

is an artist who examines issues of surveillance, citizenship, and migration. His work has been presented at major exhibition venues worldwide, and he has spoken at the Tate Modern and the World Economic Forum. An associate professor of art at the University of Maryland, he was recently named a 2016 Guggenheim fellow.

“I had to wear Pampers”: The cruel reality the people who bring you cheap chicken allegedly endure

(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

By Roberto A. Ferdman-May 11

While concerns about food safety and animal welfare dominate discussions about the perils of the modern food system, there's a downside that many might find just as troubling: the often inhumane conditions people who work in the industry face.

A new report by Oxfam America, an arm of the international anti- poverty and injustice group, alleges that poultry industry workers are "routinely denied breaks to use the bathroom" in order to optimize the speed of production. In some cases, according to the group, the reality is so oppressive that workers "urinate and defecate while standing on the line" and "wear diapers to work." In others, employees say they avoid drinking liquids for long periods and endure considerable pain in order to keep their jobs.

The findings are the result of hundreds of interviews with line workers from some of the largest poultry processing companies in the United States, including Tyson Foods, Pilgrim's, and Perdue. And they bring the current state of the poultry industry into serious question. Competitive forces, they suggest, are driving poultry processors to produce as much meat as possible, as fast as possible, leading companies to mistreat their workers, even if unknowingly.

Today, poultry processing plants are allowed to funnel chickens through their assembly lines at a rate of 140 birds per minute, a rate which the industry recently lobbied to increase by another 35 birds per minute. The speed has been great for business, but for those working on the line, it has made for extremely taxing shifts. Just ask Debbie Berkowitz, a senior fellow at the National Employment Law Project who used to work with the government agency that oversaw industry practices. On Wednesday, she published a piece in response to the new report. This is how she described the conditions:

In my work at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, I witnessed the dangers: poultry workers stand shoulder to shoulder on both sides of long conveyor belts, most using scissors or knives, in cold, damp, loud conditions, making the same forceful movements thousands upon thousands of times a day, as they skin, pull, cut, debone and pack the chickens. The typical plant processes 180,000 birds a day. A typical worker handles 40 birds a minute.

By law, companies are required to grant their employees access to bathrooms. A set of standards, written by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 1998, makes clear that facilities must be available to employees upon need. In response, the industry has instituted a system, whereby extra workers are available to swap in in the case someone has to leave the line to use the restroom, a system which the government supports so long as "there are sufficient relief workers to assure that employees need not wait an unreasonably long time to use the bathroom."

But the system is either flawed or being eschewed by supervisors, according to Oxfam. Workers reported waiting for more than an hour for someone to swap in, if anyone came at all. Many of them said they were forced to urinate or defecate where they stood or leave the line without permission, because no help arrived. At some plants, workers have come to expect no relief, leading them to take embarrassing measures to withstand the conditions.

"I had to wear Pampers. I and many, many others had to wear Pampers," one worker told Oxfam, an admission the organization found to be surprisingly common.

The industry has responded with both concern and denial. Oxfam says it reached out to all of the companies mentioned in the report, but only heard back from two: Tyson Foods and Perdue. Both said they don't tolerate the sort of practices mentioned in the report, and cited steps they have taken to make sure working conditions at their processing plants are safe and humane. But only one, Tyson, acknowledged the possibility that there were slip-ups happening under their watch.

Gary Mickelson, the senior director of public relations for Tyson Foods, expressed consternation in a follow up e-mail about the report. "We're concerned about these anonymous claims and while we currently have no evidence they're true, are checking to make sure our position on restroom breaks is being followed and our Team Members' needs are being met."

Mickelson said he has met with officials of Oxfam America in the past to talk about their concerns. "We’ve told them that while we believe we’re a caring, responsible company, we’re always willing to consider ways we can do better," he said in an e-mail. "We do not tolerate the refusal of requests to use the restroom."

Perdue, on the other hand, didn't leave open the possibility that its workers were being subjected to the conditions cited in the report. Julie DeYoung, a company spokesperson, said an internal revenue failed to corroborate Oxfam's findings, citing the company's policy, which allows line workers to take two 30-minute bathroom breaks over the course of an eight hour shift.

"If a department is short-staffed that day, there may be times it is difficult to provide immediate coverage," DeYoung said in an e-mail. "If an associate has a health or other reason why they need more frequent restroom breaks, they can visit the onsite Wellness Center for support services or talk with Human Resources to request an accommodation for their condition."

The concerns raised in the Oxfam report are the latest in a string of evidence that suggests those who work to ensure that chicken is both widely and cheaply available endure harsh treatment and face grueling conditions. A 2013 report by the Southern Poverty Law Center found that nearly 80 percent of 266 workers surveyed in Alabama said they were not allowed to use the bathroom when they needed to. Another report, published just last month, found that 86 percent of workers surveyed in Minnesota said they received fewer than two bathroom breaks each week.

Asked whether video footage, which is often available in plants, might help to show whether workers were actually being allowed to leave the line to use the bathroom, Mickelson, the Tyson spokesperson, said such monitoring is available in some parts of the company's plants. DeYoung, the Perdue spokesperson, didn't respond to the question.

Turmeric latte: the ‘golden milk’ with a cult following

Cafes from Sydney to San Francisco are spicing up their menus with cold-pressed turmeric juice added to almond, cashew or coconut milk. It’s a healthy alternative to coffee, it tastes great – and it’s easy to make your own

Fresh turmeric root. Photograph: Alamy

A turmeric latte from Modern Baker----- Ground turmeric. Photograph: Alamy

Saba Imtiaz-Wednesday 11 May 2016

It is a drink fit for Midas, with an ochre colour so vivid it doesn’t need an Instagram filter. It’s not made of gold, but it might as well be, given its cult following. “Golden milk” or turmeric latte – an unlikely combination of nut milk and juiced turmeric root – is 2016’s drink of choice. In a new report on food trends in the US, Google singled out turmeric’s ascent after searches for the spice increased by 56% from November 2015 to January 2016. And fuelling that rise is its use in lattes: “golden milk” is among the top online searches associated with the spice. Turmeric lattes are now being sold at cafes from Sydney to San Francisco, and the drink is gaining fans in the UK.

At Modern Baker in Summertown, Oxford, sales of turmeric lattes – listed on the menu as “Golden mylk” (the “y” is health-speak for non-cow milk) now outnumber that of regular lattes. Turmeric lattes routinely feature in reviews for the York outpost of the Filmore & Union restaurant chain. Nama, a vegan restaurant in Notting Hill, west London, has noticed a surge in the turmeric latte’s popularity recently, even though it has sold the drink for nearly two years. A prescient former employee used to whip them up for the staff, and they went down so well that the latte ended up on the menu.

“Nobody was really serving them,” Nama co-founder Irene Arango recalls. “We used to do little tastings at Nama and people got hooked.” It is also, as Arango puts it, a pleasant way for health-conscious diners to get a fix of turmeric juice.

At first, it seems an odd concept. Turmeric is mostly known as a curry ingredient that leaves indelible yellow stains on appliances and fingernails. And, save for the aeration and the artistic lashes of cinnamon, the turmeric latte bears little similarity to its caffeinated namesake. But this is one of those trends whose provenance isn’t just Gwyneth Paltrow’sGoop website.

After ghee, homemade yoghurt and coconut oil, turmeric is the latest health-food trend to originate from the south Asian pantry, another sign that the Indian subcontinent may be ahead of the hipster curve. Turmeric and milk is a fairly well-entrenched drink in the region’s food culture, where it is considered a restorative. Turmeric is part of Ayurvedic medicine – a holistic, all-natural approach to health that has been practised for centuries in India – and a ubiquitous ingredient in curries and rice dishes.

On the south Asian recipe website Khana Pakana, a turmeric-and-milk combination, haldi doodh, is described as a drink women consume to lighten their skin. The spice is believed to help with everything from cancer to a cough, and is often given to children with a fever. The most commonly used recipe calls for turmeric powder mixed with milk and a dash of black pepper, as well as an optional addition of ghee.

This history seems to have filtered into the turmeric latte’s current run of success. It is promoted for its health benefits – as an anti-inflammatory and an alternative to a caffeinated drink – and, Arango says, it is particularly popular with customers in the mornings. Modern Baker also makes one with an espresso shot, and an iced version.

Like many trends, the turmeric latte may seem to have come out of nowhere. But it has been brewing for a while. The market research firm Mintel named turmeric as one of its foods to watch in 2016. It has done the rounds of the wellness circuit – the blogs, websites and Instagram accounts of “clean eating” advocates – for several months, and recipes for the drink abound on Pinterest.

Modern Baker’s co-founder Melissa Sharp, who founded the bakery and cafe after an illness, came to the spice for health reasons. “I knew about turmeric … I had seen a couple of places in London with the latte on their menus. And I did the research, and it was the most delicious thing,” she says. Modern Baker is firmly on the turmeric bandwagon, using the spice in about two dozen products, including turmeric biscuits.

Despite being recommended haldi doodh several times in Karachi, Pakistan, where I live, I’ve never come around to the drink. But, one morning recently, I found myself stirring coconut milk, fresh ginger and cinnamon in a saucepan with a turmeric powder paste. It smells uncomfortably reminiscent of a Pakistani curry made with yoghurt, turmeric and gram flour. I spoon in some honey, start whisking and hope for the best. Despite my low expectations, the first sip is surprisingly pleasant. The tartness of the turmeric is dulled by the milk and cinnamon. I don’t like the fibrous ginger, but after straining the drink is creamy, with the comforting quality of a warm, yet slightly sweet, soup. It tastes nice when it has cooled down, too.

While haldi doodh is seen as the kind of old-school, antiquated drink a well-meaning relative would foist upon you, the turmeric latte is a world apart. “The trick is to use fresh cold-pressed turmeric juice,” Arango says. Goop’s recipe calls for almond milk, while Bon Appetit’s iced version uses cashew. The Californian vegan restaurant chain Cafe Gratitude uses steamed almond milk with freshly squeezed turmeric juice and honey. Arango says coconut milk works better with turmeric, while Modern Baker primarily uses almond milk and varies it by adding coconut milk powder. Many recipes follow the south Asian playbook and use black pepper, which brings out the flavour of the turmeric.

I still can’t see myself ordering a turmeric latte out, though – this is one of the few times my Pakistani parents’ “we can make this better and cheaper at home” mantra is true. But, a day later, I find myself wondering what a caffeinated turmeric latte tastes like, and how I can get ahead of the next big south Asian trend.

Murdered Tamil journalists remembered in Jaffna 10 May 2016 A memorial event was held in Jaffna last week, marking the tenth anniversary of the murder of two Uthayan journalists. Last Monday, Tamil politicians and activists including Tamil National Alliance leader R Sampanthan, paid tribute to the slain journalists at the Jaffna Library auditorium. Mavai Senathirajah, E Saravanabavan, T Siththarthan and Sivasakthi Ananthan were amongst the other Tamil politicians present. The day marked ten years since the assassination of Uthayan staffers Suresh Kumar and Ranjith Kumar in Jaffna. Alongside portraits of the two, other Tamil journalists who were killed in the line of duty were also remembered. On May 2 2006 five armed gunmen, suspected to be EPDP paramilitary members,stormed the Uthayan office with automatic weapons, allegedly looking for deputy editor R. Kuhanathan. They then proceeded to open fire killing two and wounding a further two staff members. The attack took place on the eve of World Press Freedom Day. Uthayan editor N Vidyadharan told the BBC Tamil service at the time, "Hearing the gunfire, other employees either ran away or hid in different parts of the building". Speaking to the Associated Press, Mr Vidyadharan said, "I have no doubts that this is a work of armed groups working with the government security forces". Then Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa attempted to blame the LTTE for the attack.The murder was widely condemned, with the Committee to Protect Journalistscondemning the attack and calling on Sri Lanka “to fully investigate the attack and take measures to ensure the security of all media workers”. Reporters Without Borders said that “suspicion once again falls on the EPDP, which is known for using intimidation and violence". "We urge the police to question the EPDP’s leaders as part of their enquiries,” it had stated. Then Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa blamed the LTTE for the attack. The London based International Association of Tamil Journalists (IATJ) said at the time that they “strongly condemn the escalating, preplanned assassinations of media journalists and the destruction of the press institutions”. “We call the attention of the world to the genocide the Government of Sri Lanka has let loose on the Tamils,”it continued. The murders also sparked a protest with members of the Tamil Media Forum writing a memorandum addressed to the General Secretary of the United Nations. “We believe, in order to protect the Tamil media from the dangers it is facing, the international community has a moral responsibility to condemn the GoSL for its brutally oppressive actions against the Tamil media,” it had said.

Video: Families of disappeared protest against white van abductions

2016-05-10
Families of the Disappeared, a collective of family members of the missing persons, today handed over petitions to the UN compound, British High Commission and the Prime Minister’s Office demanding an end to 'white van' abductions. Pix by Nisal Baduge

Video by Janaka and Indika Sri Aravinda

'Justice cannot be compromised' - civil society organisations 10 May 2016 A wide range of civil society actors have expressed 'urgent concerns' regarding the Sri Lankan government's proposed Office of Missing Persons (OMP), and called for 'substantial international involvement', in a letter to President Maithripala Sirisena.

'Justice Cannot Be Compromised' - Civil Society Organisations by Thavam Ratna

Good governance necessary to achieve government’s economic vision

by Jehan Perera-May 9, 2016, 9:40 pm 

The re-opening of the EU fisheries market to Sri Lankan exporters came as a welcome success to the government at a time when it needs to show some tangible progress on the economic front to the people. The main criticism of the government amongst the general population is the absence of economic development and poverty alleviation in their lives. While a relatively small fraction of the population travels in luxury private cars, the general public continues to hang on to the footboards of overcrowded trains for their daily commutes to their workplaces and back with some of the train engines and carriages well past their fortieth year in service. Even those sections of the population who voted for the government at the last two national elections that saw the defeat of the old one are bemoaning the lack of economic progress in the present.

The government leaders spell out a vision of Sri Lanka as an economic hub of the region, but there is a disconnect as the general population’s experience of hubs related to the economy are the village and town markets which is what they are familiar with. The rising cost of living and absence of visible development, and job creation, are the chief observations they have to make about the economy. In this context the lifting of the fisheries ban by the EU which was imposed on the country over a year ago, will indeed imrprove the livelihoods of several thousands of fisher families and those who are at the bottom of the economic pyramid and help to improve the economy in general. The ban was imposed due to the failure of the previous government to comply with international standards and adequate control systems to tackle the problem of illegal fishing.

The lifting of the EU ban was primarily due to the government’s willingness to comply with international standards in the fisheries industry. These were of a technical nature, such as the EU’s observation that highlighted that Sri Lanka was authorizing very large vessels to fish in the Indian Ocean without marine GPS (VMS), rendering control totally impossible. But there was also a political dimension as the previous government preferred to take the risk of losing market by being unprepared to take the necessary actions to meet the EU requirements. The previous government resisted any sort of international pressure as being an affront to Sri Lanka’s national sovereignty. However, the new government has demonstrated that political dialogue and reforms can have beneficial economic consequences to the country’s people.

GSP CONDITIONS

The government is now moving to obtain the restoration of the GSP Plus concession from the EU. This tariff concession was withdrawn in 2010 on account of the previous government’s inability and unwillingness to show that it was complying with the international human rights agreements that successive Sri Lankan governments had entered into with the UN and other international bodies in earlier periods. The EU is the largest export market and the second largest import source for Sri Lanka, and in 2008, textiles and garments accounted for the bulk of exports from Sri Lanka. The national economy gained about US$ 150 million annually due to preferential tariffs.

In 2010 however, Sri Lanka’s exports suffered a blow when the GSP Plus was suspended due to the Sri Lankan government’s violation of human rights agreements. Many of the smaller factories had to close and thousands of workers lost their jobs. Studies showed that Sri Lanka’s total exports fell 9 percent in 2012 due to the loss. Sri Lanka also lost its share of the market in other products also with consequences to the balance of trade deficit. Executive Director of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Dr. Saman Kelegama has said "Sri Lanka has already lost its competitive edge in the EU market for the past five years. Not necessarily on apparel but the other exports like foodstuff, rubber, gems and jewellery." These losses have made it harder for the national economy to provide as much as it could have to the poorer sections of the population. Regaining the GSP Plus benefits can therefore contribute significantly to the national economy.

It is reported that the EU has imposed 58 conditions for Sri Lanka to regain the GSP Plus, and among these are to revoke the Prevention of Terrorism Act, to expedite cases of remaining detainees, to introduce a new Human Rights Action Plan, review the status of the Tamil diaspora organisations and individuals on the terrorist list, to devolve power under the new Constitution, return all private lands to owners in the North, adopt a policy of National Reconciliation and on National Resettlement, finalise the re-settlement of all displaced persons, and to ratify the Convention on Enforced Disappearances with accompanying legislation as well as issue certificates of absence. For its part, the government is reported to have committed to many reforms such as to rehabilitate all ex-combatants by 2017 and to expedite the processing of remaining cases referred to by the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; and to establish an office on Missing Persons.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

The Government has also agreed to "security sector reform"; to put an end to "all surveillance, harassment and reprisals against civil society, human rights defenders and journalists"; propose legislation allowing individuals to submit complaints to the UN Human Rights Committee under the First Optional Protocol to the ICCPR and to the UN Committee against Torture; and to "reconsider the decision to establish the Press Council". The list also includes an undertaking to propose legislative changes to expedite prosecution of reported cases of torture; to launch wide public consultation and to disseminate information during the various stages of setting up a transitional justice mechanism; and to design a transitional justice architecture consistent with the Human Rights Council resolution and the results of the public consultation.

The value of regaining the GSP Plus is not limited to the economic benefits that will flow directly through reduced tariff rates for Sri Lankan exports to the EU markets. It can also lead to an increase in the level of foreign investments. So far the level of foreign investment in the country has been disappointingly low. It is likely to increase in the longer term once the good governance measures are put into place. Foreign investors need to know that their investments will be secure and they will have the benefit of an independent judiciary in case of disputes. They need to know, just as much as those who voted for this government want to know, that there will be transparency in business transactions and underhand deals which are illegal in many of their countries will be minimized. They also want to be assured that there will be no political violence and rebellions that will create an inhospitable environment for business.

A stable political environment is of utmost importance to attract foreign investment that can develop the economy. The good governance measures that the government is being obliged to put into place will create a stronger system of checks and balances, transparency and rule of law, which is important for enduring peace in the country. The sense that the system of government is just and equitable is the best form of national security in regard to internal insurgencies, such as occurred in Sri Lanka both in the North and South over the past four decades. Therefore the reforms that need to be undertaken to obtain GSP Plus will have longer term benefits that can take Sri Lanka to the status of an economic hub for the South Asian region which is the vision of this government.