January 1-15, 2023 Issue of The Unrest Magazine

News Magazine on Economic and Political Upheavals in the World

THE UNREST

RMN Digital Magazine | January 1-15, 2023

An Editorial Initiative of Raman Media Network (RMN)

Editor: Rakesh Raman

CONFLICTS | ELECTIONS | HUMAN RIGHTS | PROTESTS | TERRORISM

THE UNREST News Magazine by RMN News Service | January 1-15, 2023 | Page 1 of 30

Former U.S. President Donald Trump. Photo: White House (file photo)

Main Stories in This Issue of The Unrest

Political Opposition

Dirty Politics

Congress Refuses to Stop Bharat Jodo Yatra Select Committee Accuses Trump of Crimes Human Rights Expert Urges Action on Myanmar Crisis Pollution: People Inhaling Poison in Delhi State Crimes

NATO HQ in Dark in Solidarity with Ukraine Stories of Politics and Unrest in the World

Select Committee Accuses Trump of Multiple Crimes, But Trump Is Above the Law

Soon the January 6 violence case will also be brushed under the carpet and Trump will keep making hostile remarks against his opponents and the investigating teams.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has proved time and again that he is above the law and the weak American judiciary cannot hold him accountable for his countless crimes. The American laws have, in fact, succumbed to Trump’s blatant refusal to obey them in multiple cases that he has been facing.

In yet another case, the select committee that was formed to investigate Trump’s involvement in the violent riots on January 6, 2021 released its findings on December 19, 2022.

The committee has accused Trump of four crimes, including an attempt of insurrection with the aim to subvert the transfer of presidential power to Joe Biden who had won the presidential election in 2020.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump. Photo: White House (file photo)

The committee has released a 154-page introductory report titled: “Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.” The report carries details of the charges against the defendants who were allegedly involved in a seditious conspiracy against the United States and other crimes related to the January 6, 2021, attack on Congress.

Now the committee has also released an 845-page final report. It states that during the riot, the then-President Trump refused to condemn the violence or encourage the crowd to disperse despite repeated pleas from his staff and family that he do so. The committee found that there is enough evidence to suggest that Trump provided “aid and comfort” to a violent mob that was attacking the Capitol in an attempt to retain his position as the U.S. President even after his loss in the 2020 election.

The committee also recommended that Trump should be charged with obstructing Congress’s January 6, 2021 joint session, conspiracy to make false statements, and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

As usual, Trump dismissed all allegations made against him by the investigating committee and said on December 19, 2022 that House lawmakers have recommended "fake charges" as they want to stop him from running for the White House again.

[ You can click here to watch a related video on RMN YouTube Channel. ]

TRUMP IS ABOVE THE LAW

Although the Trump-led mob violence is a case of failed revolt against the elected government, he will again dodge the legal system to get off scot-free. He has done it many times in the past. First he refused to appear before the special counsel Robert Mueller who was investigating his ties with Russia to steal the 2016 presidential election. Instead of insisting on Trump’s appearance, Mueller ignored Trump’s

refusal and submitted a sketchy report that was dumped without proper discussion.

Then Trump was caught red-handed when he was forcing Ukraine to implicate his Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden in a frivolous corruption case. When the House of Representatives – the lower house of the United States Congress – started impeachment proceedings against Trump, he obstructed the impeachment inquiry by refusing to provide related documents and also stopped witnesses from participating in the impeachment hearings.

The House had passed 2 articles of impeachment: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. But Trump has no respect for any law and he kept behaving as a dictator. While his trial was supposed to begin in the Senate, Trump issued the diktat for the Republican Senators to end the trial without proper investigation.

Also, despite multiple legal attempts, the authorities failed to obtain Trump’s tax returns. It is believed that Trump refused to show his tax and financial records because he has amassed plenty of illegal wealth through shady deals.

According to a CNN report of May 18, 2021, the real reason that Trump refused (and refuses) to release his taxes is because they revealed him having paid almost zero actual taxes to the federal government for 10 of the previous 15 years and showed that he had (and has) massive debts coming due that he has personally guaranteed.

The New York State Attorney General Letitia James’s office opened a criminal investigation into the dealings of the Trump Organization. James’s spokesman indicated that her office’s probe is being conducted in conjunction with the criminal investigation of Trump and the Trump Organization by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. According to a CNBC report of May 18, 2021, both investigations are exploring claims by Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael

Cohen that the Trump Organization misstated real estate valuations to reduce their tax liabilities, and get better loan and insurance terms.

In response, Trump said there is nothing more corrupt than an investigation that is in desperate search of a crime. “But, make no mistake, that is exactly what is happening here. The Attorney General of New York literally campaigned on prosecuting Donald Trump even before she knew anything about me,” Trump wrote in a haphazardly written blog post on his “Save America” website.

Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. also shared a video to defend Trump. Baby Trump said in the video posted on May 19, 2021 that the witch hunt in New York continues. “Here’s what my father had to say,” he argued in the video about the criminal investigation.

Meanwhile, the House voted on May 19, 2021 to approve a legislation to establish an independent commission to investigate the violent insurrection on January 6 in the U.S. Capitol. The final vote was 252-175, with 35 Republicans breaking with their party to support the bill.

Trump was accused of incitement to insurrection, as the House of Representatives had delivered the charge to the Senate on January 25, setting in motion Trump’s second impeachment trial. However, Trump was acquitted because the Democrats could not get sufficient support from Republicans in the Senate.

The Senate voted that Trump was not guilty of inciting the violent riots on January 6 at the U.S. Capitol. In the final verdict pronounced in February, 57 senators found Trump guilty to 43 who said he is not guilty. Democrats needed 67 votes to convict Trump.

Republican Trump has become the only U.S. president who has been impeached twice by the House and the first to face trial after leaving office. But despite multiple investigations, formal charges, and court cases, Trump has not been punished.

Soon the January 6 violence case will also be brushed under the carpet and Trump will keep making hostile remarks against his opponents and the investigating teams.

Congress

Refuses to Stop

Bharat Jodo Yatra After Covid Warning from Modi Govt

The Bharat Jodo Yatra has also provided a temporary relief to Rahul Gandhi from the investigations that he and his mother Sonia Gandhi have been facing in a money-laundering case.

The perpetual opposition party Congress has refused to suspend the Bharat Jodo Yatra, as the government of prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi has asked Congress to observe Covid-19 protocol.

According to reports of December 21, 2022, a health minister in the Modi government has written to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to discontinue his Bharat Jodo Yatra (or Unite India March) in national interest as there is a new Covid fear in

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra or “Unite India March” in Karnataka on October 6, 2022. Photo: Congress

the country. The Modi minister has asked Congress leader to allow only vaccinated people to join the march and they should also wear face masks to prevent the spread of the virus. However, Congress argues that the Modi government should first stop other such marches of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of PM Modi. Congress adds that PM Modi was not stopped from holding public rallies in Gujarat where Modi frequently campaigned to win the recent Gujarat Assembly election.

Congress believes that the Modi government wants to stop the Bharat Jodo Yatra by hook or by crook because the Yatra aims to highlight the Modi government’s failures and its divisive policies.

PURPOSELESS BHARAT JODO YATRA

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra since September 7, 2022 from Kanyakumari. The Yatra aims to cover over 3,500 kilometers to reach Kashmir in 5 months.

Thousands of Congress supporters walk with Rahul Gandhi for nearly 20 kilometers everyday. The ageing Congress leader shows an ostentatious affection for people with his avoidable physical embrace. He shakes hands with men and puts his arms around girls and women who walk with him.

Although Bharat Jodo Yatra is a purposeless event which has no political meaning for the dying Congress party, it has given an escape route to Rahul Gandhi to evade accountability as Congress was repeatedly losing elections under his fragile leadership. The Bharat Jodo Yatra has also provided a temporary relief to Rahul Gandhi from the investigations that he and his mother Sonia Gandhi have been facing in a money-laundering case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India – which investigates serious financial crime cases – has been calling Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to appear for questioning in the alleged money-laundering case. Now it is difficult for the ED to

call the Congress leaders for hearings as they are participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. It will look like a political revenge of the Modi regime if the ED calls them for questioning now when the Yatra is underway.

Therefore, there is a likelihood that when the Bharat Jodo Yatra ends in January 2023, Rahul Gandhi will lead another long event without any political purpose to evade accountability and dodge the ED dragnet. [ You can click here to watch a related video on RMN YouTube Channel. ]

NATO Headquarters Goes Dark in Solidarity with Ukraine

NATO Allies are helping Ukraine uphold its rights for self-defence, enshrined in the UN Charter.

NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, joined other international landmarks and switched off lights on 21 December 2022 in solidarity with Ukraine. Photo: NATO The NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, joined other international landmarks and switched off lights on 21 December 2022 in solidarity with Ukraine. The initiative is part of the ‘Lights for Ukraine’ campaign launched by the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, together with the United 24 platform. It runs until 31 December 2022.

According to NATO, the aim is to raise funds for generators for Ukrainian hospitals and to draw the world’s attention to the situation in Ukraine, in particular the large-scale blackouts caused by Russia’s massive strikes on critical infrastructures, leaving the population in dire conditions, without electricity or running water, as winter progresses.

NATO Allies are helping Ukraine uphold its rights for self-defence, enshrined in the UN Charter. Unprecedented support has been already delivered to Ukraine, including equipment to repair energy grids, winter clothing, fuel and generators.

At NATO’s Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Bucharest in November, Allies reaffirmed their continued support to Ukraine and made additional pledges as part of NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine. Courtesy: NATO

Pollution in Delhi: People Inhaling Poison from the Air

Simply put, the people of Delhi are inhaling atmospheric poison from the air. The air quality will worsen in the coming weeks and months.

The air quality in New Delhi (Delhi) has reached cataclysmic levels while the city continues to be the most polluted national capital in the world. IQAir – a Swiss-based air quality technology company – shows that the current level of air quality in Delhi is hazardous.

The IQAir data of December 19, 2022 reveals that with 260 µg/m³ the PM2.5 concentration in Delhi is significantly exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) annual air quality guideline value.

PM2.5 is particulate matter pollution measuring 2.5 microns or less. These microscopic particles are considered a major threat to human health. PM2.5 can be

inhaled and absorbed into the bloodstream, impacting both the respiratory and cardiovascular system.

IQAir Data of December 19, 2022 on Pollution in Delhi

Similarly, the Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) on December 19, 2022 shows “Unhealthy” and “Hazardous” air quality levels in Delhi. Also, an interactive tool on the Breathe Life 2030 website indicates a particulate matter (PM 2.5) level of 105 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean) in Delhi. This is 21 times more than the WHO safe level of 5 µg/m3 .

Simply put, the people of Delhi are inhaling atmospheric poison from the air. The air quality will worsen in the coming weeks and months.

FACTORS CAUSING POLLUTION

Many factors – such as vehicular traffic, stubble burning, construction, firecrackers –are ascribed to the increasing levels of air pollution in Delhi. However, bureaucratic and political corruption is the main reason for this persisting calamity. Now, pollution in Delhi is directly proportional to corruption in Delhi.

Delhi chief minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal is running one of the most corrupt governments in India. A number of politicians who belong to Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi

Party (AAP) are either in jail for committing financial crimes or facing serious corruption charges.

Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) on December 19, 2022 shows “Unhealthy” and “Hazardous” air quality levels in Delhi

Instead of spending public money to stop pollution in the city-state, the Kejriwal government is splurging huge money on false advertisements to promote Kejriwal and AAP in other states where elections are taking place.

While Kejriwal keeps roaming like a stray dog in different states such as Punjab, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh to hold unruly election rallies, he does not have any time or interest in saving the people of Delhi from deadly pollution. Rather, he shamelessly downplays the threat from pollution.

Although a Vinai Kumar Saxena was handpicked by the government of prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi in May 2022 to work as the Lt. Governor (LG) of Delhi, he is so naive and unqualified that he cannot handle the problems of the city of 30 million people.

As a result, the people of Delhi are suffering under unprecedented corruption, lethal pollution, widespread filth, water scarcity, and other infrastructural hassles.

While the people are dying with pollution and related diseases, the crumbling healthcare system including the fraudulently run Mohalla Clinics of Delhi cannot provide proper treatment to them.

Meanwhile, a new global report (Ecological Threat Report 2022: Analysing Ecological Threats, Resilience & Peace) has warned of an imminent ecological disaster in Delhi.

The report says factors such as poor infrastructure, lethal air pollution, weak regulatory framework, and administrative failure are going to make Delhi unsustainable for its population of over 30 million.

[ You can click here to watch a related video on RMN YouTube Channel. ]

New Record Number of Journalists Jailed Worldwide: RSF

China, where censorship and surveillance have reached extreme levels, continues to be the world’s biggest jailer of journalists.

A record total of 533 journalists are currently detained worldwide, according to the annual round-up of violence and abuses against journalists published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The number of those killed has increased again this year – to 57– while 65 journalists are being held hostage and 49 are missing.

According to RSF, last year’s record has been broken again. The total of 533 journalists being held in connection with their work on 1 December was 13.4% higher than last year’s figure.

RSF has also never previously seen so many women journalists in detention. A total of 78 are currently held, a record-breaking rise of nearly 30% compared to 2021. Women now account for nearly 15% of detained journalists, compared to fewer than 7% five years ago.

China, where censorship and surveillance have reached extreme levels, continues to be the world’s biggest jailer of journalists, with a total of 110 currently being held.

They include Huang Xueqin, a freelance journalist who covered corruption, industrial pollution and the harassment of women.

Stop killing journalists. Photo: UNESCO Also a sign of major repression, the Islamic Republic of Iran, with 47 detainees, became the world’s third biggest jailer of journalists just one month after the onset of massive protests.

Among the first journalists detained were two women, Nilufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, who had helped draw attention to the death of the young Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini. They now face the death penalty.

“Dictatorial and authoritarian regimes are filling their prisons faster than ever by jailing journalists. This new record in the number of detained journalists confirms the pressing and urgent need to resist these unscrupulous governments and to extend our active solidarity to all those who embody the ideal of journalistic freedom, independence and pluralism,” said Christophe Deloire, RSF Secretary-General.

THE UNREST News Magazine by RMN News Service | January 1-15, 2023 | Page 14 of 30

The number of journalists killed has also risen. A total of 57 paid with their lives for their commitment to report the news in 2022 – an 18.8% increase compared to 2021, after a two-year period of relative calm and historically low figures.

The war that broke out in Ukraine on 24 February 2022 is one of the reasons for this rise. Eight journalists were killed in the first six months of the war. Among them were Maks Levin, a Ukrainian photojournalist who was deliberately shot by Russian soldiers on 13 March, and Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, a French video reporter for the TV news channel BFMTV, who was killed by shrapnel from an exploding shell while covering the evacuation of civilians.

Meanwhile, more than 60% of journalists killed lost their lives in countries considered to be at peace in 2022. Eleven were murdered in Mexico alone – nearly 20% of the overall number of journalists killed worldwide. Mexico’s figures, along with Haiti’s (with six killed) and Brazil’s (with three killed) helped turn the Americas into the world’s most dangerous region for the media, with nearly half (47.4%) of the total number of journalists killed worldwide in 2022.

The 2022 round-up also reports that at least 65 journalists and media workers are currently being held hostage. They include Olivier Dubois, a French reporter who has been held for more than 20 months by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM), an armed group in Mali affiliated with al-Qaeda, and Austin Tice, an American journalist abducted nearly 10 years ago in Syria.

Furthermore, according to RSF, two more journalists were reported missing in 2022, bringing the total number of journalists currently missing to 49.

The round-up also takes a look at some of the year’s most striking cases, including that of Ivan Safronov, one of Russia’s best investigative journalists, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for revealing “state secrets” that were readily available online. THE UNREST News Magazine by RMN News Service | January 1-15, 2023 | Page 15 of 30

This was the longest sentence recorded by RSF in 2022. It also mentions the case of Dom Phillips, a British journalist whose dismembered body was found in a remote part of the Brazilian Amazon, where he had gone to research the attempts by local Indigenous groups to combat poaching, illegal gold mining and deforestation.

Since 1995, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has been compiling an annual round-up of violence and abuses against journalists based on data collected from 1 January to 1 December of the year in question.

The 2022 round-up figures include professional journalists, non-professional journalists and media workers.

Homeless Sleeping on Open Pavements in Chilling Winter:

Delhi LG

Now the people of Delhi are facing a serious mosquito threat as the mosquito density in the city has increased manifold.

The Lt. Governor (LG) of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena has informed that the poor are still sleeping on the open pavements in the chilling winter of the national capital.

Saxena - who visited some of the Delhi areas - said that thousands of homeless are sleeping on pavements and lack of toilets force them to defecate and bathe in the open.

In a tweet on December 24, 2022, Saxena shared the pictures of his visit to night shelters and said that even as facilities of sleeping overnight for the homeless are satisfactory, the numbers are highly skewed to their disadvantage, with thousands yet sleeping on pavements.

LG Saxena - who is the administrative head of the Delhi Government - also tweeted that he will ensure ample provisions in the forthcoming Master Plan for Delhi-2041 (MPD-2041) to provide facilities to the homeless and take up the matter of interim relief to them and their rehabilitation with the chief minister (CM).

Although Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has been claiming for the past nearly 8 years of his rule that he is making Delhi a world-class city, the people of the city-state do not get even basic facilities such as water, regular electricity, roads, transport, and homes.

Since corruption is rampant in the Kejriwal government with many of his colleagues in jail or facing serious corruption investigations, Kejriwal’s political outfit Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is misusing public funds to achieve its political objectives.

As a result, the Kejriwal government is not spending sufficient public money on building proper infrastructure in Delhi where millions of people are suffering because of lethal pollution, corruption, and lack of basic amenities such as education and health care.

Now the people of Delhi are facing a serious mosquito threat as the mosquito density in the city has increased manifold. The Delhi homes are full of mosquitoes

A homeless man sleeping on a road in Delhi. Political and bureaucratic corruption is the main cause of poverty, pollution, sickness, and hunger in India. Photo: Rakesh Raman / RMN News Service

and many people may be dying with mosquito bites. But the negligent Delhi Government has failed to deal with the mosquito menace in the city.

Despite his efforts, LG Saxena has not been able to check carelessness and corruption in the Delhi Government headed by CM Kejriwal. Therefore, it is unlikely that Saxena will do anything good for the homeless poor of the city.

The government corruption in Delhi is expected to increase exponentially because Kejriwal’s AAP has also won the MCD election in Delhi and its elected councilors will begin the work in January 2023.

[ You can click here to watch a related video on RMN YouTube Channel. ]

Meanwhile, a new global report (Ecological Threat Report 2022: Analysing Ecological Threats, Resilience & Peace) has warned of an imminent ecological disaster in Delhi. The report says factors such as poor infrastructure, lethal air pollution, weak regulatory framework, and administrative failure are going to make Delhi unsustainable for its population of over 30 million.

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UN Expert Urges Member States to Take Action on Myanmar Crisis

The Security Council resolution should not become a dead-end that is followed by more international inaction.

While noting that the UN Security Council has adopted a resolution on Myanmar for the first time since a military coup nearly two years ago, Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, responded by stating that the crisis in Myanmar will worsen unless and until Member States of the UN respond with action.

THE UNREST News Magazine by RMN News Service | January 1-15, 2023 | Page 18 of 30

“It is notable that the UN Security Council has passed a resolution on Myanmar for the first time since the military unleashed a brutal crackdown on the people of Myanmar nearly two years ago. I appreciate the efforts made by the United Kingdom and other Security Council Members to craft and advance a resolution that managed to avoid a veto,” the expert said.

He added that certain actions taken without any use of the Security Council’s Chapter VII authority will not stop the illegal Myanmar junta from attacking and destroying the lives of the 54 million people being held hostage in Myanmar.

The systematic gross human rights violations -- amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity being perpetrated daily on the people of Myanmar by an illegal military junta requires strong, coordinated action by UN Member States.

The demands put forward in the resolution including ‘an immediate end to all forms of violence,’ the release of political prisoners, the need for unimpeded humanitarian access, and the need to respect the rights of women and children

Newly arrived Rohingya refugees travel by boat from Myanmar on the Bay of Bengal to Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar district, Chittagong Division in Bangladesh Credit: UNICEF/Patrick Brown

are critically important but what is missing are consequences for the failure to meet them and the imposition of sanctions and accountability for crimes the military has committed to date.

“I wholeheartedly agree with Security Council members Norway, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Iceland, and Mexico that the language of the resolution should have been stronger,” Andrews said. “What the content of this resolution makes clear is that the action that is required to end this crisis will not come from the Security Council. It is therefore imperative that those nations with the political will to support the people of Myanmar take coordinated action immediately to end the carnage.”

The Security Council resolution should not become a dead-end that is followed by more international inaction. It should be a wake-up call for those nations who support people under siege. It is clearly time for the creation of a working coalition of nations who are willing to stand with the people of Myanmar by providing what they need most -- action.

UN Secretary-General Guterres was correct when he declared that, with respect to Myanmar, the international community has failed. This failure cannot be rectified by resolutions that have no consequences. It can only be responsibly addressed with targeted, coordinated action.

There are viable options for Member States who are prepared to address this failure, including coordinating sanctions, cutting off the flow of revenue that is financing the junta’s military assaults, an embargo on weapons and dual-use technology and robust humanitarian aid that can reach those most in need, among other measures. What is required is the political will to seize them, the UN expert said in his statement released on December 22, 2022.

Mr. Thomas Andrews (United States of America) is the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. THE UNREST News Magazine by RMN News Service | January 1-15, 2023 | Page 20 of 30

Short Stories of Politics and Unrest in the World

Fighting in Ukraine is currently at a deadlock as neither Ukraine nor Russia can make significant advances, the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence agency has said, while Kyiv waits for more advanced weapons from Western allies. "The situation is just stuck," Kyrylo Budanov told the BBC in an interview. "It doesn't move." Read More

The United States will require negative Covid-19 tests for travellers from China, US health officials have said, after Beijing’s decision to lift stringent restrictions to contain the virus. The officials said that the new policy, which will kick in on January 5, will apply to all air passengers over two years old from China, Hong Kong or Macao. Read More

A Turkish appeals court on December 28 upheld the conviction of Osman Kavala, a prominent philanthropist and human rights activist. The 65-year-old is also a leading critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In April, Kavala was sentenced to life in prison on charges that included attempting to overthrow the government. The April verdict added to tensions in Ankara's uneasy ties with the West. Seven other defendants in the case were each sentenced to 18 years in prison. Read More

Concerned that nearly a third of India's adult population does not vote, the Election Commission of India has invited political parties for a demonstration of a new kind of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) that can help migrant workers within the country to vote remotely in their home constituency, thus saving them the hassle of traveling for it. Read More

Facebook’s corporate parent has agreed to pay $725 million to settle a lawsuit alleging the world’s largest social media platform allowed millions of its users’ personal information to be fed to Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump’s victorious presidential campaign in 2016. Read More

The International Monetary Fund now projects that global GDP growth will slow from 6% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2022 and 2.7% in 2023. The Fund characterized this as “the weakest growth profile since 2001 except for the global financial crisis and the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.” Read More

Crime, Corruption, and Impunity in India

Politicians, bureaucrats, police, and judges have formed a criminal gang in India. The following cases depict how they collude with criminals and commit crimes and corruption with impunity while the ordinary citizens are suffering. Click the following links for details.

Cabinet Secretariat Case Ministry of HomeAffairs (MHA) Case

Prime Minister Office (PMO) Case Delhi Lokayukta Case

DoPTCase CBI Case

Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Case

Supreme Court Case

Delhi Govt Case Delhi Petitions Committee / CVC Case

NHRC Case School Education Case

Environmental Crime Case

Judicial Corruption Case

Lokpal Removal Case

RCS Corruption Case

AAPCorruption Case Widehouse Scandal

NHRC Case at UN HRC IAS Group Corruption Case

CPGRAMS Cases

IAS Corruption Record

PGMS Cases

UNCAC Petition

Delhi Police Case DoPTProcesses

RCS RTI Violations

DDACorruption Case Petitions and Representations by Rakesh Raman. Up to December 2022

Congress Plans Haath Se

Haath Jodo Abhiyan After Bharat Jodo Yatra

Congress could never create and communicate its plans to provide relief to the poor, unemployed, or other Indians who are victims of the misrule in the Modi empire.

The old and obsolete Congress party has decided to embark on another weird campaign after the lackluster outcome of its ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra or Unite

India March. The new campaign of Congress - which is desperately trying to find its feet in the Indian political arena - is titled Haath Se Haath Jodo Abhiyan or Join Hands Campaign which will begin when Bharat Jodo Yatra ends in January 2023.

Opposition political parties holding a press conference on April 14, 2019 to raise the issue of election frauds on EVMs in India. (file photo)

A Congress tweet of December 27, 2022 announced that Congress president has appointed a few observers for the planning and implementation of the "Haath Se Haath Jodo Abhiyan," which is a follow-up activity of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra since September 7, 2022 from Kanyakumari. The Yatra - which is criss-crossing different cities and towns of India aimlessly - is supposed to cover over 3,500 kilometers to reach Kashmir in January 2023. [ You can click here and click here to watch related videos on RMN YouTube Channel. ]

Since Congress is a group of naive politicians, it lacks skills to survive and thrive in the evolving political landscape dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP of prime minister Narendra Modi. While 1.4 billion people of India are suffering

because of extreme inflation, unemployment, corruption, lawlessness, and hunger in the Modi regime, Congress has no game plan to defeat Modi’s BJP.

Rahul Gandhi - along with a handful of his supporters - is running purposelessly on roads in Bharat Jodo Yatra to gain fake publicity for himself, but he could never chalk out a strategy to compete with BJP.

It is largely believed that Modi’s BJP selectively manipulates electronic voting machines or EVMs to win crucial state elections and Lok Sabha elections, but no Congress leader could effectively challenge the use of EVMs in Indian elections.

When Congress was defeated by the BJP in the Gujarat election in December 2022, a Congress leader Digvijay Singh blamed the fraudulent use of EVMs. But he did not reveal any plan to stop the EVM manipulation.

Simultaneously, a Congress spokesman Pawan Khera held a comprehensive briefing to explain how EVMs were manipulated by the BJP of PM Modi to win the Gujarat election. But he too did not discuss any specific strategy to combat the alleged EVM fraud by BJP in elections.

Obviously, if the use of EVMs is not stopped, BJP will easily win the 2024 Lok Sabha election and Congress will keep running in the streets with its useless campaigns such as Haath Se Haath Jodo and Bharat Jodo Yatra. Moreover, today there is not even a single domain expert in Congress who can lead its content and communications activities. The party is largely dependent on Twitter to communicate with a few Twitter users most of whom may not be actual voters in elections. [ You can click here to watch a related video on RMN YouTube Channel. ]

In fact, Congress could never create and communicate its plans to provide relief to the poor, the unemployed, or other Indians who are victims of the misrule in the Modi empire. Its entire strategy is based on random tweets that Congress leaders post to curse Modi everyday.

Similarly, the unruly Congress spokespersons who appear in TV shows spew venom against Modi and BJP without revealing the Congress roadmap to save Indians from the misery that they are facing.

With this kind of run-of-the-mill performance, Congress cannot - and should notwin any election. It can only hold Haath Se Haath Jodo Abhiyan and Bharat Jodo Yatra which have no meaning in Indian politics, but these Yatras can transform Congress into a travel management group.

New EVMs May Lead to More Frauds in Indian Elections

Since most politicians in opposition parties are illiterate, they cannot fully understand the manipulation that can be done with the EVMs. Therefore, after some weak verbal protests, they accept EVM election results in which mostly BJP wins.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to introduce a new category of electronic voting machines (EVMs) with the stated objective of increasing the voting percentage in Indian elections.

According to ECI, the new EVMs will allow remote voting for migrant workers who are not able to reach the constituencies where they are registered to vote. Since most opposition political parties have been repeatedly complaining about the possibility of frauds on existing EVMs, the ECI has invited the political parties to demonstrate the new machines.

In a tweet issued on December 29, 2022, the ECI said that it is ready to pilot remote voting for domestic migrants, as it has developed a prototype of Multi-Constituency Remote Electronic Voting Machine (RVM).

It adds that the prototype RVM can handle multiple constituencies from a single remote polling booth and the ECI is expecting views from different political parties on legal, operational, administrative, and technological challenges of introducing new voting machines.

THE UNREST News Magazine by RMN News Service | January 1-15, 2023 | Page 25 of 30

The opposition parties complain that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi colludes with the ECI to manipulate EVMs and win elections deceptively.

The Electoral Officials carrying Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for counting, at a Counting Centre of General Election-2019, at CWG Village, Sports Complex, in Delhi on May 23, 2019. Photo: PIB (file photo)

But the ECI – which is completely controlled by the Modi government – ignores the opposition complaints and holds elections on EVMs and mostly BJP wins. And the defeated opposition parties willy-nilly accept the election results and wait for the next elections.

The opposition party Congress complained about the EVM frauds even in the recent elections. When Congress was defeated by the BJP in the Gujarat election in December 2022, a Congress leader Digvijay Singh blamed the fraudulent use of EVMs. But he did not reveal any plan to stop the EVM manipulation.

Simultaneously, a Congress spokesman Pawan Khera held a comprehensive briefing to explain how EVMs were manipulated by the BJP of PM Modi to win the

Gujarat election. But he too did not discuss any specific strategy to combat the alleged EVM fraud by BJP in elections.

Congress complains that EVMs are not safe even when used with the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) option. It is also observed that when EVMs malfunction, they vote only in favor of Modi’s BJP which runs with Lotus election symbol. [ You can click here to watch a related video on RMN YouTube Channel. ]

Obviously, BJP will always oppose paper ballots and any investigation into the misuse of EVMs. And it goes without saying that the Election Commission – which is a toothless outfit – will always obey Modi.

However, top tech experts believe that it is very easy to tamper with EVMs in India and change the election results fraudulently in favor of certain candidates.

In their study on EVMs in India, security researchers from India, the United States, and the Netherlands argue that “contrary to claims by Indian election authorities, these paperless electronic voting systems suffer from significant vulnerabilities.”

The researchers also have found that even brief access to the machines could allow dishonest election insiders or other criminals to alter election results. They have developed a video to demonstrate their claims.

Tech experts observe that besides other manipulations, the chip used in the EVMs is not of the OTP (One Time Programmable) category. That means, it can be programmed in each EVM to change the vote count in favor of a particular candidate.

Since opposition parties have been raising the EVM vulnerability issues repeatedly, now it is believed that the BJP manipulates EVMs in some crucial state elections and Lok Sabha elections in which Modi himself contests. Since most politicians in opposition parties are illiterate, they cannot fully understand the manipulation that

can be done with the EVMs. Therefore, after some weak verbal protests, they accept EVM election results in which mostly BJP wins.

Now, with the introduction of new EVMs that the ECI has proposed, it will become extremely difficult for opposition parties to win elections and prove the vulnerability of the new machines.

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About the Editor

The editor of The Unrest news magazine Rakesh Raman is a national award-winning journalist and founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation. Besides working at senior editorial positions with leading media companies, he was writing an exclusive edit-page column regularly for The Financial Express (a daily business newspaper of The Indian Express Group).

Nowadays, for the past 12 years, he has been running his own global news services on multiple news sites. He runs various environment protection, education awareness, and anti-corruption campaigns, and publishes digital magazines and research reports on different subjects.

Earlier, he had been associated with the United Nations (UN) through the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as a digital media expert to help businesses use technology for brand marketing and business development.

At present, Rakesh is associated with the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project as a Country Expert for India to provide expert research inputs on multiple topics pertaining to democracy and governance. The V-Dem Project is managed by V-Dem Institute under the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Currently, he is also working as an editor for Wikipedia, which is a free online global encyclopedia.

THE UNREST News Magazine by RMN News Service | January 1-15, 2023 | Page 28 of 30

In order to inform the Indian citizens and the global community about the extent of corruption in India, he compiled and released in October 2022 a comprehensive report on corruption in the country. Under the title “India Corruption Research Report 2022 (ICRR 2022),” the research report covers diverse aspects of corruption in India.

He has launched a nationwide campaign to introduce social democracy in India in order to build an egalitarian society in which all citizens could enjoy equal rights, opportunities, freedoms, and access to justice. He is running an editorial section / microsite “Power Play: Lok Sabha Election 2024 in India” to cover the election news, events, and political campaigns.

He is also running a nationwide campaign to save school students of India from directionless education so that students could acquire modern skills that can help them in the job market. In his anti-corruption activities, he participated in a global petition led by Germany-based international organization Transparency International to call for the UN General Assembly Special Session against Corruption, UNGASS 2021, to direct all countries to set up central, public registers of beneficial ownership.

He runs a community-driven anti-corruption social service “Clean House” to help the residents of Delhi raise their voice against the growing corruption and injustice in housing societies where millions of people suffer because of rampant corruption and lawlessness. He has also formed an environment protection group called Green Group in New Delhi, which is the most polluted national capital in the world.

As Rakesh has been facing constant threats including death threats for his editorial and anti-corruption work, the Paris-based international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) that defends freedom of journalists has urged the Indian

government to save him from threats and persecution. You can click here to download and read his full profile.

Collaboration with the Project

THE UNREST news magazine is being published by RMN Foundation, which is the humanitarian initiative of RMN News Service. It is being circulated among different UN agencies, government departments, leading global politicians, international political organizations, colleges / universities, law-enforcement agencies, civil society organizations, social activists, and others in India and abroad.

As the founder of RMN Foundation and editor of RMN News Service, I am managing this project independently without any financial or other support. RMN News Service is looking for sponsors and collaborators across the world who can help it expand the content creation activity around this editorial initiative.

Contact Rakesh Raman Founder RMN Foundation

463, DPS Apts , Plot No 16, Sector 4 Dwarka, Phase I, New Delhi 110 078, INDIA Call: 9810319059 | Contact by email

THE UNREST News Magazine by RMN News Service | January 1-15, 2023 | Page 30 of 30