M Rajshekhar

Statement on Vantara’s failed legal case against Himal Southasian The Delhi High Court on 19 May 2025 summarily dismissed a case of contempt of court against Himal Southasian and its Editor filed this February by Greens Zoolog

And so, news.
In Feb, the Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust and Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre filed a case on @himalmag.bsky.social, wanting us -- in short -- to remove our report on #Vantara.
They lost.
Our statement: www.himalmag.com/editorial/ed...

Yest, a court in India dismissed the case against @himalmag.bsky.social for reporting on Reliance's poaching of animals for their pvt zoo

👇🏾 Op part of the statement is how the investigation is gaining traction outside India as Indian outlets take down the reports🤷🏾‍♀️

www.himalmag.com/editorial/ed...

Trump’s trade war revives a vital old question: Can the Global South go its own way? Even as US and China begin talks, the Global South should not play ball and reconsider old ideas of self-reliance and regional trade

"Rising anger w/n Gl.South has a certain momentum to them. If we create structures for greater south-south trade, it might even deliver on the '95 Bandung Spirit, where leaders of newly-independent nations promised to create a new Asia & Africa."

By M Rajshekhar

carboncopy.info/trumps-trade...

Trump’s trade war revives a vital old question: Can the Global South go its own way? Even as US and China begin talks, the Global South should not play ball and reconsider old ideas of self-reliance and regional trade

In this time of gloom and pessimism, we are missing something important. A clutch of Global South countries are using Trump's tariff shock to reimagine their trade relations -- to pivot to more equitable south:south trade. The rest should follow. A report: carboncopy.info/trumps-trade...

"What is the burden of proof/discussion India needs before it agrees to decimate an ecosystem? If DPRs and government proclamations suffice, then good luck! Do enjoy your ecocide!"

cc: @mizoraman.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy

The Great Nicobar Project: A Mega Development or an Environmental Catastrophe? Today, “development” means turning riverfronts, coasts, farmlands, hills, and forests into profit hubs for mining and real estate giants. While land transforms into high-end residences, resorts, and l...

Credulity is the precursor to ecocide. Great Nicobar is about to flip from 'pristine ecosystem' to a resource frontier overrun by speculators and contractors -- not Singapore. Mark these words. As a wrap, also read editor
Vaishna Roy's letter to readers. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...

Endangered Wildlife of the Nicobar Islands: 10 Species at Risk from the Great Nicobar Project The Nicobar Islands are a biodiversity hotspot, home to unique species found nowhere else. Long isolated, these islands have fostered rare wildlife, but many species now face extinction due to the Gre...

Here is a look at some -- some -- of the endemic fauna of the island. The question is: what is the burden of proof/discussion India needs before it agrees to decimate an ecosystem? If DPRs and government proclamations suffice, then good luck! frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...

Our society, as they say, should have the gumption to speak what it intends through its actions.

Great Nicobar’s Flawed Restoration Plan: Why Tree-Planting and Reef Relocation Won’t Save Its Ecosystem The Great Nicobar development project’s mitigation plan oversimplifies ecological restoration, reducing it to tree-planting and reef relocation. Here’s why that’s a dangerous illusion.

Along the way, the government salves popular conscience/perceptions by creating the facade of biodiversity management + impact mitigation. Read this report by Rohan Arthur and @mizoraman on why scientists have to stop getting coopted into this charade. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...

Great Nicobar Port Project: Economic and Strategic Justifications Under Scrutiny The proposed container port at Great Nicobar lacks commercial viability, and its strategic benefits remain unclear. So why is this massive project being pushed forward?

Familiar arc, this. DPRs paint a rosy picture>>>popular imagination is captured>>>environmental clearances are procured>>>and then, firms execute only the profitable parts of the project. In this case, that means construction tenders + logging. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...

2. If there is little examination of environmental impacts, there is even lesser evaluation of its economic viability.

Great Nicobar’s Mega Project: A Costly Gamble with Forests, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Rights The Rs. 80,000 crore Great Nicobar project faces scrutiny over deforestation, biodiversity loss, legal challenges, and cost escalations. Experts question its environmental clearances and economic feas...

1. This report by @pankajsekh on how the project has been rammed through without any meaningful environmental scrutiny. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...

And so, drumroll, the latest issue of @frontline_india has hit newsstands. It deepens our understanding of the Great Nicobar Transhipment Port project, a construction/logging scam in the guise of a future Singapore/Colombo.