MediaVigil, Journal of Global Communications and Justice

On 29 January, in response to the previous days events, President Hosni Mubarak spoke on national television after midnight local time for the first time since the protests began. He said he had "asked the government to resign and tomorrow there will be a new government," but that he would not be resigning himself. He made no offer to step down himself. He promised to "continue with new steps which will ensure the independence of the judiciary and its rulings, and more freedom for citizens," and that new steps would be taken to "contain unemployment, raise living standards, improve services and stand by the poor". He condemned the violence of the protests, calling them "riots that threaten the system and obstruct the daily life of citizens". After the speech, protestors returned to the streets to demanding that Mubarak resign. Multiple and widespread protests continued, with protesters primarily calling "Down with Mubarak". Some chant...

Please check the petition on Jaipur & Galle Literature Festival. We are disturbed by the track record of partners & sponsors of the festival which is ridden with rampant human rights violations and environmental disaster. If you agree with you may endorse it and forward it for endorsements by others who are concerned about corporate crimes and conflict of interests. The statement will be released to media with the list of endorsements on 24th January evening. Therefore, kindly respond soon. Statement for Reflection on Jaipur & Galle Literature Festival is available here: http://www.petitiononline.com/2777/petition.html

Onwards to 26 Jan E x p l o r i n g D e m o c r a c y Republic Under the Shadow of Surveillance: UID- The Hidden Agenda Speakers Usha Ramanathan Independent law reascher and noted jurist Prof. Mohan Rao SSS JNU Gopal Krishna Research scholar, JNU, Citizens Forum for Civil Liberties Date: 24.01.11 Venue: Tapti Mess, Jawaharlal Nehru University Time: 9.30 pm

"We are absolutely dissatisfied with government's efforts to bring back black money. Why are they not revealing details about who has black money? We will support no such tax amnesty schemes. They are tax evaders and should not be spared," says AB Bardhan, General Secretary, Communist Party of India. Bardhan said, “What is the secrecy about black money? Why are they not revealing the names? Why are they keeping them (names) under sealed cover? We want to know who they are“. Those who had kept money stashed in Swiss bank accounts had done so to evade taxes. “They are tax evaders. They have committed a crime. The fund should be confiscated.” "The helplessness stemming from Prime Minister's language about the Supreme Court's move to bring back black money stashed away in foreign banks will boost the morale of corrupt people," says Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. legal experts say the government is not doing enough and hiding behind the double taxatio...

Statement for Reflection on Jaipur & Galle Literature Festival Incest is a reality but perhaps all civilizations have been wary of it. Jaipur Literature Festival that began as ‘civil society’ initiative in 2006 has developed into a DSC Limited sponsored festival of literature for the last five years. It is time one ponders over the public relations exercise and the facade of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of companies that sponsor and partner for this festival. If one examines the credentials of some of the sponsors of the festival briefly, it presents a disturbing picture: • In the inspection of scam ridden Commonwealth Games, Central Vigilance Commission had observed that DSC Limited as having been awarded 23% higher rates • Rio Tinto Group, the world’s third- largest mining company has been deemed guilty of collusion with fascist and racist regimes and faces allegations of human, labour and environmental rights violations around the world and over decades • Shell O...

Statement for Reflection on Jaipur Literature Festival Incest is a reality but perhaps all civilizations have been wary of it. Jaipur Literature Festival that began as ‘civil society’ initiative in 2006 has developed into a DSC Limited sponsored festival of literature for the last five years. It is time one ponders over the public relations exercise and the facade of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of companies that sponsor and partner for this festival. If one examines the credentials of some of the sponsors of the festival briefly, it presents a disturbing picture: • In the inspection of scam ridden Commonwealth Games, Central Vigilance Commission had observed that DSC Limited as having been awarded 23% higher rates • Rio Tinto Group, the world’s third- largest mining company has been deemed guilty of collusion with fascist and racist regimes and faces allegations of human, labour and environmental rights violations around the world and over decades • Shell Oil Company, ...

UID, financial sector audit by World Bank & L-1 Identity Solutions Please note the backdrop of the announcement by Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee seeking evaluation of India's financial sector by IMF and the World Bank. He claimed that the the ministry has voluntarily sought a full-fledged Financial Sector Assessment Programmee.  Earlier, on 23rd April, 2010 L-1 Identity Solutions, Inc. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between L-1 and the World Bank was signed as part of the launch of the initiative at a World Bank Spring Meeting event attended by many developing country Ministers of Finance and Communications. It claimed that this collaborative relationship with the World Bank is meant to improve the way governments in developing countries deliver services to citizens as part of the launch of the World Bank eTransform Initiative (ETI).  The World Bank's ETI seeks to leverage Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to build a knowle...

Among the many reasons cited for India to proceed with the Unique Identification (UID) project — that it will facilitate delivery of basic services, plug leakages in public expenditure and speed up achievement of targets in social sector schemes — the most specious perhaps is the claim that it will help India reach her public health Millennium Development Goals. Despite economic growth, in addition to starvation deaths, the huge load of preventable diseases remains substantially unchanged. Infant and child mortality take a toll of the lives of 2.2 million children every year. The National Health Policy (1983) target of reducing the Infant Mortality Rate to less than 60 per 1,000 live births has yet to be achieved. The rate of decline in the IMR has decelerated, from 27 per cent in the ’80s to only 10 per cent in the ’90s. The same is true for the rate of decline in the mortality rate of children under five from 35 per cent in the ’80s to 15 per cent in the ’90s. India has higher mate...