People are dying because of India’s audacious cash modernization strategy. Few peacetime episodes in India’s 70-year history have proved as contentious or chaotic as the government’s currency ban, which has unleashed tragic consequences across this cash-dependent economy and stained Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reputation as a capable administrator. The war on cash move by Modi to ban certain denominations of rupees is aimed to reduce corruption, counterfeiting and hoarding. Some say the strategy has been especially hard on the poor, has slowed the Indian economy overall and that Modi’s promised benefits have not materialized. Today is the last day for Indians to ‘exchange’ the banned notes for approved notes (LA Times)
Top Stories
Syrian troops violate ceasefire in attack on rebels. Syrian government troops appear to have violated a nationwide truce that went into effect at midnight by launching attacks on two towns near Damascus close to the city’s water supply. Despite this, some contend the ceasefire brokered by Russia appears to be holding throughout much of the country. Other reports indicate it is already fraying. (Guardian)
Nobel laureates criticize Aung San Suu Kyi for tolerance of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Myanmar. More than a dozen Nobel laureates have written a letter critical of Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto leader and a former Peace Prize winner, for her passive stance on the bloody military crackdown of minority Rohingya people, warning of a tragedy “amounting to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.” (Guardian)
Venezuela’s security forces accused of extra-judicial killings. Venezuela has long suffered from one of the world’s highest crime rates. But the nation’s economic crisis, which has upended everything from its hospitals to its food supply, has deepened the misery and criminality. Police are accused of increasingly turning to torture and murder as tools of enforcement. (NY Times)
Brazilian police suspect wife in murder of Greek ambassador. Rio de Janeiro investigators suspect that Greece’s ambassador to Brazil was murdered at the behest of his wife and a police officer with whom she was romantically involved, Globo TV reported on Friday, citing police sources. (Reuters)
Underage girls trapped by Pakistani bride exchange culture. In deeply conservative regions such as this one in the south of Punjab province, the tribal practice of exchanging girls between families is so entrenched, it even has its own name in Urdu: Watta Satta, which means give and take. (AP)
Nine die and dozens feared trapped in mine collapse in India. At least nine workers have died and nearly two dozen are feared trapped in a coal mine which has collapsed in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand. (BBC)
European cities ramp up security for New Year’s Eve due to Berlin attack. European capitals tightened security on Friday ahead of New Year’s celebrations, erecting concrete barriers in city centres and stepping up police numbers after the Islamic State attack in Berlin last week that killed 12 people. (Reuters)
Opinion/Blogs
Are we heading for a post-Human Rights world? With an increasing number of governments seemingly reluctant to honor human rights treaties, is there a future for this type of international agreement? (BBC)
The real reason for Netanyahu’s showdown with Obama. All politics is local, as they say… (Vox)
