While it is true that the total number of nuclear weapons at world level has decreased significantly compared to the days when the number had peaked, nevertheless in several important ways the actual threat from nuclear weapons has increased in recent times and is increasing . It is very important to recognize this and not go by numbers alone.[Read More…]
“Democratic values, like Humpty Dumpty, could have a great fall. And no one will be able to put them together again,” said Justice Madan Lokur, retired judge of the Supreme Court who currently serves on the Supreme Court of Fiji. Justice Lokur, who served in the SC from 2012-18, is the first Indian SC judge to serve another nation’s SC.[Read More…]
Co-Written by Sandeep Pandey, Venkatesh Narayanan and Kushagra Kumar Dr. Lubna Sarwath is a fighter. In a survey conducted by the leading South Indian daily Deccan Chronicle the residents of Hyderabad have highlighted conservation of environment as a priority issue on which they would like their Mayor to focus on and Lubna has dedicated her life to the cause of[Read More…]
Increasing strains between Pakistan and its traditional Arab allies, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, is about more than Gulf states opportunistically targeting India’s far more lucrative market. At the heart of the tensions, that potentially complicate Pakistan’s economic recovery, is also India’s ability to enhance Gulf states’ capacity to hedge their bets amid uncertainty about the continued US[Read More…]
On his first visit to Jamshedpur in 1925, Mahatma Gandhi did something that was unthinkable to large sections of the workers of Tisco. Not only did Gandhi agree to attend a grand reception arranged for him by the Tatas, he even accepted a steel casket containing a purse. What angered and saddened the workers the most was that Gandhi should[Read More…]
A novelette by Bharat Dogra How different will be the world 50 years from now? If the tendencies of domination and exploitation which are a major cause of distress even today get aggravated greatly in the future conditions of escalating climate change and other serious threats, how will life shape up then, and where will humanity then search for hope?[Read More…]
One million animal and plant species face extinction due to human activity, according to the United Nations. Now, think about cultural production—art and literature that we have invested to address the extinction of just a handful of species (passenger pigeon included). Quite a bit actually. The extinction of one million species feels rather abstract, beyond the comprehension of human cultural[Read More…]
Making political sense of the world can be tricky unless one understands the role of the state in capitalist societies. The state is not primarily there to represent voters or uphold democratic rights and values; it is a vehicle for facilitating and legitimating the concentration of wealth and power into fewer and fewer hands. In a recent post, I wrote[Read More…]
Co-Written by William D. Hartung and Mandy Smithberger Will the Biden Administration Dare Cut Military Spending? Now that Joe Biden is slated to take office as the 46th president of the United States, advice on how he should address a wide range of daunting problems is flooding in. Nowhere is there more at stake than when it comes to how he handles[Read More…]
Another Iranian nuclear scientist has been assassinated. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed by an elaborately planned and executed ambush. The complexity of the attack and the resources required to carry it out strongly indicate a state actor. Fingers of blame quickly pointed at a likely assassin: Israel. The United States was probably in some form of collaboration since it is widely[Read More…]
In the not-too-distant past, there was a very senior official . He was an official of his own kind, very devoted to the welfare of the poorest people. He led a most simple life, so that he could devote himself single-mindedly to the dearest objective of his life which was to work for the welfare of poor and oppressed people,[Read More…]
I was then 14, maybe 15, between studying English and science Spending seemingly interminable days waiting for the variety Of Puja Varshikis; back on our 3rd floor, waiting for that magic Moment for the day’s Ananda Bazar to drop in a corner Of the verandah, launched from the street. And no sooner than The thud was heard, rushing to get[Read More…]
Hinduism has always been under threat by some force or other. The latest and most urgent one, by the sounds of it, is love jihad. It is a plot, according to protectors of the Hindu religion, to take over Hinduism. The aggressor, in this case is the Muslim samaj, which is secretly plotting to take over hinduism by seducing Hindu[Read More…]
The UNHRC Sessions in March 2021 assume a greater political importance for the war victims of Sri Lanka and above all for the relevant roles of United Nations and UN Human Rights Council regarding their commitments to uphold Human Rights, Accountability Justice and Rule of Law in countries which have been subjected to UN and UNHRC Resolutions like Sri Lanka[Read More…]
The Indian Prime Minister’s greetings on the birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism sound hypocritical, considering how his police have assaulted agitating farmers from Punjab in the national capital of the world’s so called largest democracy. The Sikhs will celebrate the 551st birthday of Guru Nanak Dev across the globe on Monday, November 30. In his radio address to[Read More…]
While the farmers continue to hold demonstrations near the national capital against the recently-enacted Farm Laws that have facilitated the entry of big corporate players in the agricultural sector, several Hindi newspapers are busy demonizing the movement and linking it to the Khalistani terrorists. Several narratives are being constructed by the media to portray the Farmers’ Protests as unruly, violent,[Read More…]
Our deeply troubled world today badly needs the essential message of peace, simplicity, equality and inter-faith harmony which Guru Nanak, the great spiritual leader and social reformer, spread with so much skill and even greater courage during the greater part of his eventful life. It may be unconventional to speak of human right activism in those times but giving specific[Read More…]
He was born and raised in a little town just outside of Licata, Sicily. By the time he was 18, the young man was accepted into university in Tunisia, a far more scholastically advanced place than the Sicily of the early 1900s. Upon graduating, he decided to do what many young Italians chose to do, and he emigrated to the[Read More…]
PUDR condemns the Haryana Government and the Police for filing cases against farmers protesting against the three farmers and Electricity Act. As per various news reports, Haryana Police have registered cases at Sadar Ambala PS, Baldev Nagar Ambala PS and Dabwali PS against Bhartiya Kisan Union and other farmers’ organizations for allegedly breaking police checkpoints and entering Haryana during the[Read More…]
History is about forgetting and remembering within different waves of time. If a society fails to view its present in the mirror of history, that society condemned itself to the dustbin of future. The Indian society is in such a dangerous crossroad. The despicable ideology of Hindutva led by RSS, evil politics of BJP and horrific policies of Modi government[Read More…]
In 1993, the then Congress Government, in Centre, introduced the Religion Bill in Parliament to stop the use of religion in politics. Apparently, the purpose of Congress Government was to stop the temple movement of the BJP. But the opposite happened. The BJP and the Sangh Parivar had promoted the atmosphere of the entire nation with Hindutva by projecting the[Read More…]
Political religion has become a dominant feature of our democracy particularly in the last few years. Different proponents of Hindutva groups freely distort religion to further political ideologies. They disregard some of the fundamental teachings of Hinduism to achieve their objective of gaining political power by winning elections. They generate hate and demonization of other faiths. They routinely invent history[Read More…]
Thousands of people rallied against the controversial bill in more than 70 French cities on Saturday, with the organizers claiming over half a million participants and authorities estimating the number at around 150,000. The daytime rallies went off peacefully, but by early evening clashes erupted in multiple cities, including Marseilles, Lyon, Brest, Nice, Rennes, Lille, Bordeaux and in other cities.[Read More…]
Nuclear weapons are rendered as the most dangerous threat to human civilization. At least nine countries including five permanent members of the UN Security Council presently have approximately 14000 nuclear warheads, around 4000 which are active for operation within minutes. Current versions of nuclear bombs are obviously more powerful than those hurled over Hiroshima and Nagasaki of Japan in the[Read More…]
Introduction How different will be the world 50 years from now? If the tendencies of domination and exploitation which are a major cause of distress even today get aggravated greatly in the future conditions of escalating climate change and other serious threats, how will life shape up then, and where will humanity then search for hope? This is a day[Read More…]
After the anti CAA protest at Saheen Bagah in Delhi, the farmers protest is the second protest in Delhi that is currently underway in 2020. Thousands of farmers from Haryana and Punjab have marched towards Delhi to press the central government to repeal the recently enacted farm laws. They are stopped at Haryana Delhi border by the Delhi police using[Read More…]
Mass extinctions due to human activities According to a recent United Nations report, more than a million species of plants and animals are currently threatened with extinction because of human activities. Rates of extinction today are as much as 1,000 times greater than the normal background rate. As the greenhouse gas emissions of human society push the earth towards catastrophic[Read More…]
Imagine, you are in the spiritual capital of Andhra Pradesh- Tirupati and a local guide is selling you pictures of Dal Lake Srinagar or for instance you are in Arunachal Pradesh – Ziro, a beautiful town that has been a world heritage site certified by UNESCO and is known for its tribal culture, but local guide is briefing you about[Read More…]
An Archetypical Anglo-American Colonial Crime Against Humanity! In order to militarily penetrate the oil rich Middle East, a courageous and noble socialist Zionism and despised Holocaust survivors, denied refugee status, were used by an Anglo-American colonial business elite that was anti-Semitic in outlook, coldly indifferent and even complicit, during the Holocaust its investments in rearming Germany made possible. An Archetypical[Read More…]
Where is the statement of outrage? Where is the statement of solidarity? Where is anything? The assassination of Iranian physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh should merit a massive response from the world’s scientific community but as far as this author has seen, no scientific organization has issued a statement of repudiation of this brazen act of illegal violence. Though no one has[Read More…]
Can demand of justice for rape survivors be called ‘anti-national’? Can providing food and shelter to Adivasi women who have come from remote areas to depose in a criminal trial mandated by the law be a crime? The present allegation of ‘anti-national’ against VS Krishna of HRF (AP and Telengana) and other human rights and dalit rights activist by the[Read More…]
On 26 November, an estimated 250 million workers from different sectors belonging to 10 central trade unions and hundreds of workers associations struck work in what may be the biggest nationwide strike. It is not coincidental that lakhs of farmers of several states chose the same day to march towards Delhi from all directions, opposed by Police at multiple places.[Read More…]
Australia has been rocked by the release of a heavily redacted report about the killing of 39 unarmed Afghan civilians or prisoners by some 25 elite Australian Special Air Services (SAS) soldiers. Any prosecutions will take years and will violate the scientific principle of truth and systemic change rather than knee-jerk blame and shame. There is already huge Australian[Read More…]
Tribute to one of the greatest thinkers and characters in shaping the last millennium Today the world celebrates the bicentenary or two hundredth birthday of Freidrich Engels, one of the most outstanding figures or thinkers of the millenium.Without doubt but for Engels Marxism would not have come of being or taken shape..Had it not been for Engels support Marx would[Read More…]
On Gandhi Jayanti 2019, a group of 50 people, 35 of them Adivasis from different parts of India, set out on what they called a ‘World Peace March’ – the plan was to walk all the way to Geneva, crossing seas by flight and getting permission to cross international borders on foot. They started from the Gandhi Samadhi in[Read More…]
The world has been changing fast, and so must social movements, to keep up with the emerging challenges. The most significant aspect of the fast-changing world is the emergence of very serious threats to the basic life-nurturing conditions of earth, and in keeping with the recognition of this as the most important issue, social movements must prepare in many creative[Read More…]
Australia’s ambassadorial offices and political leaders have a consistent record of ignoring their citizens in tight situations. David Hicks, Mamdouh Habib and Julian Assange are but a few names that come to mind in this inglorious record of indifference. In such cases, Australian public figures and officials have tacitly approved the use of abduction, torture and neglect, usually outsourced and[Read More…]
The world is fast losing farms and farmers through the concentration of land into the hands of rich and powerful land speculators and agribusiness corporations. Smallholder farmers are being criminalised and even made to disappear when it comes to the struggle for land. They are constantly exposed to systematic expulsion. In 2014, the Oakland Institute found that institutional investors, including[Read More…]
Contrary to what she is often made out to be, India is not a poor country. Rather, India is a rich country, the majority of whose people are so poor as to have a tough time securing two meals a day. India is a rich country with multitudes of starving and half-fed men, women and children because practically her entire[Read More…]
Life always been and happened to be a hurdle race for every individuals in its pace; but it became merciless tyrant when the Covid-19 carved in it’s path. Casket of thoughts, some feeble vehemence and unspoken words tryst with ailing promises. Life always been and happened to be a hurdle race for every individuals in its pace; but it became[Read More…]
The term tribe or tribal is not defined anywhere in the Indian Constitution. According to Article 342, Scheduled Tribes (ST) are ethnic communities that are notified by the President of India. India’s tribes are not part of the traditional Hindu caste structure. They are more similar to the “indigenous” or “native people” in other parts of the world. Tribal communities[Read More…]
November 26 in India had two notable features: The rulers celebrated Constitution Day and people had a successful strike and protest by crores of workers and farmers across the country. In both, there is something notable but not much noted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Constitution Day, stressed: “Our Constitution has one very special feature …the importance given to[Read More…]
A revolution is happening in India. As usual, the revolution is not being televised. Tens of thousands of farmers are marching to the national capital New Delhi. After preventing them from entering the city for two days, the government was forced to allow their entry. Most of the mainstream media are either ignoring this revolution or calling the agitating farmers[Read More…]
Maradona, Number 10, is our love. People stand with Maradona. People are in solidarity with Maradona. People mourn. Our Maradona stands with the oppressed, the exploited. Maradona was with that spirit called Rebellion. Rebellion is the spirit of the oppressed, of the exploited. Rebellion is the spirit against the oppressors, the exploiters, the imperialists, the empire. It’s the human spirit.[Read More…]
The senior official rose from his seat to welcome the visiting consultant from New York. This consultant had just submitted a report on stepping up GNP growth. After exchanging a few pleasantries the official came to the point . –We sent the consultancy fee cheque of 30000 dollars promptly. Did you receive this ? –Yes, Yes, no problem about that,[Read More…]
Will the parties like SP, BSP, HAM, AAP, LJD etc. be able to compete with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is run by the brain of the expert team of RSS? Of course, currently there are left parties other than the BJP, which are governed by Politburo, that is, through collective thinking or the party’s guide line. But[Read More…]
When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece — John Ruskin We’ve all heard of endangered species and forests —now imagine crafts are at risk of going extinct. A rising number of indigenous crafts are now in danger of becoming endangered on account of their time-consuming nature and fewer craftspeople possessing these specialized skills. Times are changing and not[Read More…]
To Hon’ble Justice (Retd.) H.L. Dattu Chairperson National Human Rights Commission of India New Delhi Email: chairnhrc@nic.in Cc Mr C. S. Mawri Assistant Registrar and Focal Point on Human Rights Defenders National Human Rights Commission of India New Delhi Email: hrd-nhrc@nic.in Re: Request to raise serious concerns over the ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders in India Dear Justice (Retd.) Dattu,[Read More…]
Co-Written by Disha Malik, Shubhangi Kandwal, Upasna Gaba and Dr. Swati Sapna COVID-19 outbreak was notified as the Public Health Emergency of International Concern by WHO. COVID-19 has spread to countries, territories, or areas around the world. Knowing the seriousness of the situation, all nations started taking steps towards the detection of the virus as well as preventing the spread[Read More…]
With President Donald Trump all but conceding to the transition team that will take over after January next year, interest now shifts to President-elect Joe Biden’s choices for cabinet. On the national security front, the imperial-military lobby will have reasons to be satisfied. If Trump promised to rein in, if not put the brakes on the US imperium, Biden promises[Read More…]
War crimes committed by the losers are punished and pilloried in news articles, books documentaries, movies while military coverups of atrocities by the victors are standard issue for evading justice. And cover-ups generally work – Australian war crimes against civilians are rarely exposed unless you happen to stumble across them such as the barely known 101 year old ANZAC massacre of Palestinian male[Read More…]
Though the 25th of November marks a dark time in their history, members of the Indigenous community Selk’nam Covadonga Ona are reclaiming the date as a ‘Day of Dignity’ in their ongoing struggles. On this day in 1886, a massacre of Selk’nam families was carried out under the order of Ramón Lista, soon after his militia landed at San Sebastián on Tierra del[Read More…]
A portrait size painting of Diego Maradona was on display at certain ruins in war torn Syria where people were mourning the death of the legend. In the entire Latin American world, people are pouring their respect to Maradona who died in Buenos Aires, the Argentine Capital where his dead body is kept at the presidential palace as people continue[Read More…]
India saw one of the biggest nationwide strikes by workers, joined by protesting farmers today. Several states saw a complete shutdown. Over 250 million workers across sectors participated in the strike, called by 10 central trade unions and hundreds of worker associations and federations. Kerala, Puducherry, Odisha, Assam and Telangana witnessed a complete shutdown while normal life was partially affected[Read More…]
The police brutality on the farmers protesting against the farm bill passed by the Parliament need to be unconditionally condemned. The farmers are agitating againsnt these bills since they were passed without proper discussion in Parliament. The fear is that the bills will pave the way for corporatisation of agriculture and will leave the farmers atg the mercy of corporate[Read More…]
In recent months, Israel made diplomatic deals with two Middle East countries such as the UAE and Bahrain. These formal diplomatic ties, brokered by the USA which earlier revealed a Middle East peace plan, have immediately caused heavy criticisms among many Muslim countries in the Arab region and beyond. Of course, mounting criticisms are not surprising at all since Muslims[Read More…]
Although there is increasing recognition among many eminent scientists and learned scholars ( and of course many environment and disarmament activists ) that the world is now faced with a very serious human-made survival crisis, which has no comparison in the history so far, no credible road-map has yet emerged to avoid this many-sided, very serious crisis. We have some[Read More…]
Joggers Park in Bandra in Mumbai is an iconic site and even a Hindi film with the same name has been made with the Park as the location. Sensible people always support the public sector. But in this case it is found that the municipal corporation has created a big mess of it after taking it over from private builders[Read More…]
The Constituent Assembly (CA) of India passed the Constitution on November 26, 1949 after almost 3 years’ deliberations. It was an amazing contribution in the history of the modern liberal democracies as it was not only the lengthiest constitution in the world history (underlining the fact that the polity it was to govern was diverse and vast) but also created[Read More…]
People in the United States continue to pretend that the despair and futility we’ve caused isn’t our fault. Late last week, I learned from young Afghan Peace Volunteer friends in Kabul that an insurgent group firing rockets into the city center hit the home of one volunteer’s relatives. Everyone inside was killed. Today, word arrived of two bomb blasts in[Read More…]
Co-Written by Dr. Swati Sapna & Upasna Gaba The World Health Organization (WHO) defines generic medicine as “a pharmaceutical product, usually intended to be interchangeable with an innovator product that is manufactured without a license from the innovator company and marketed after the expiry date of the patent or other exclusive rights.”(1) The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that[Read More…]
In a few words, a close associate of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, summed up the logic behind the ongoing frenzy to expand illegal Jewish settlements in Israel. “These days are an irreplaceable opportunity to establish our hold on the Land of Israel, and I’m sure that our friend, President (Donald) Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu will be able to[Read More…]
The United Nations has overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for Palestinian self-determination and end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory since 1967. The resolution was approved on Thursday by the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee — the committee that deals with human rights and humanitarian affairs. It was passed 163 to 5, with 10 abstentions. Those who voted against were:[Read More…]
ORIENTATION Why do political science and neoclassical economics go in one ear and out the other? A human being who has a fully integrated social body understands that economics is about a social system of circulation of goods and services. In other words, provisioning for the population. Politics is the collective process of evaluating and deciding a) where have we[Read More…]
Behind a screen of pastel petals That seem to make A dreamy, windchimes’ sound, She finds herself emerging in a world Where clashing cymbals echo all around, And yet… in peace, she stands her ground. Within this world of dissolutions, She holds vast secrets in her well-like eyes; Beyond the realm of disappearance, She abides; And, more than that, hides[Read More…]
The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a series of measures in the name of Atmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 package in order to re-energise the stagnant Indian economy. These measures include credit support for the stress sectors, increasing of job creation, measures to boost the reality sector and tax relief to the homebuyers and developers. The whole amount is Rs. 2.65 lakh[Read More…]
Despite some local differences, the food and farming systems of most countries have suffered from somewhat similar serious problems in recent decades. Firstly, the problems of ordinary farmers have intensified despite government claims of increasing farm support. In many cases this is related to heavy escalation of costs, in turn leading to debts. Many have lost the status of owner[Read More…]
On 21 November, 2020, thousands of Guatemalans rallied in the central square of the country’s capital, took over the Congress and set fire to several rooms inside. The immediate trigger for this outburst of anger was the 2021 budget – now revoked by the Congress after sustained protests – which, despite being the largest in the country’s history, slashed funding for both education and healthcare. The[Read More…]
As the world watches in fascinated horror, the US’s election-results fiasco drags on. Donald Trump, who now presides over the greatest UnReality Show, has been unequivocally told, “You’re Fired.” Yet, he continues in some La-La-Land of Denial, playing hooky on international zoom conferences, and golf. His mastiff-like pugnaciousness and refusal to acknowledge reality in the face of overwhelming evidence reminds one[Read More…]
India observes communal harmony week from 19th to 25th November. This was started in 1992 by National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), an autonomous body under Ministry of Home Affairs. The aim of the week is to promote fraternity, maintain peace & communal harmony, and to run a fundraising campaign for children affected by violence. However, majority do not know[Read More…]
The marginalised sections are ubiquitous in world societies. It is the feature of human history which has found its way through a historical process of marginalisation. Marginalisation pushed certain sections of society to the fringes of the social order. It is a systemic way of deprivation and discrimination. Such social groups have limited access to opportunities, restricted freedom of choice,[Read More…]
Inter-faith harmony is of great importance in all parts of the world, but its importance increases further in a country like India which is home to people of so many religions and sects. Hence those who devote their life to protecting and promoting inter-faith harmony are performing a very important role for unity of our country and the peace and[Read More…]
A few nostalgic types still believe that the Union Jack continues to flutter to sighs and reverence over outposts of the world, from the tropics to the desert. They would be right, if only to a point. Britain, it turns out, has a rather expansive global reach when it comes to bases, military installations and testing sites. While not having[Read More…]
Go get Rick Perlstein’s great book Reaganland: America’s Right Turn, 1976-1980 and see how we got here from ‘ There’ , the turn to the right wing in the dawning of Reagan’s presidency. Even the slogan that Trump ‘ borrowed ‘ from the Reagan campaigns: Let’s Make America Great Again’ was bundled with all the other techniques that Ronnie’s handlers[Read More…]
Let’s open up and sing, and ring the bells out Ding-dong! the merry-oh sing it high, sing it low Let them know the wicked witch is dead! Within establishment circles, Donald Trump’s failure to win re-election has prompted merry singing and bell-ringing galore. If you read the New York Times or watch MSNBC, the song featured in the 1939 movie The Wizard of[Read More…]
Lastbench is an anthology written in the time of Trump and Covid-19, acting as a voice for those who are frustrated with the news cycle, wishing for something more visceral. It is unapologetically against Trump and considers his Presidency to be the terror that began the downfall. Whether true or not, this is the slant of this publication and it will[Read More…]
Workers in India have suffered a lot in recent Covid times, particularly all the workers, migrants or others, who do not have security of employment and a regular salary. Nutrition levels for most of them were inadequate earlier too, but now these have suffered a further steep decline. Access to all other basic needs has also been adversely affected for[Read More…]
The UCCRI(ML) supports the call given by various Central Trade Unions for a country-wide General Strike on November 26, 2020 against the anti-people policies of the NDA Government. The Trade Unions have listed the demands of workers and toilers, thrown into a crisis by the Covid-19 pandemic, withdrawal of the anti-farmer laws and anti-worker labour codes introduced by the[Read More…]
Writing in the March 26, 2012 issue of Outlook, Arundhati Roy talks of how since the middle of the first decade of this century, wherever Tisco has gone in search of an easy kill, whether in Chhattisgarh or in Orissa, violence against tribals whose lands the corporate giant sought to take over, has been the order of the day. Roy[Read More…]
A group of public health experts in India including Dr Narendra Gupta, based in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan and Dr Gopal Dabade in Karnataka have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider fully the as-yet-unknown consequences of large scale vaccination of the whole population against the SARS-COV-2 disease. This is not a “sound, rational, scientific or intelligent” approach for India, the experts[Read More…]
I have never tried to write something solely based on my own feelings till now. Neither did I ever felt like writing one; nor am I a public figure with huge number of followers. But, last evening when I heard of the demise of Mr. Tarun Gogoi I[Read More…]
The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry was always going to make for a gruesome read – and that was only the redacted version. The findings of the four-year investigation, led by New South Wales Court of Appeal Justice and Army Reserve Major-General Paul Brereton, point to “credible evidence” that 39 Afghan non-combatants and prisoners were allegedly killed[Read More…]
Since the onset of the global pandemic, the idea of a universal basic income has rightly received high-level political attention—not only within individual countries (such as here in the UK where it was at least debated by Parliament back in March), but also on the international level as endorsed by the United Nations. Never has there been such a need[Read More…]
Co-Written by Disha Malik, Shubhangi Kandwal & Upasna Gaba In December 2019, several cases of pneumonia were reported with unknown aetiology in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Since then the disease has spread in other parts of China and the world causing a global pandemic. (Hagert & Williams,2020). The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 led to an obligation to quarantine and increased[Read More…]
“With hindsight, it is clear that the United States failed the difficult test set by history. In the three decades that followed their triumph [over the Soviet Union] and their coronation, they proved unable to establish a new world order, to build a role as a parental power or indeed sustain their moral credibility, which is probably lower today[Read More…]
The farmers’ movement in India has a historically very important role in protecting the small ( and medium ) farmer base of agriculture in the country. In recent times the movement has done well to oppose the corporatization trends as these ultimately present a threat to small farmers, as has been evident from the historical experience of many countries. This[Read More…]
The RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in a recent interview to Vivek a hindi Magazine said that most Muslims are very contended in India. A space has been created for them. And that anyone staying in India has to accept Hindu superiority. The theory of Hindu superiority, demand for other religious groups to subordinate oneself to the dominance of Hindu religion[Read More…]
Love Jihad rhetoric is back in action in almost all the BJP ruled states as they compete each other in proclaiming to bring a law against it to stop the ‘conspiracy’ to convert the Hindu girls into Islam in the guise of ‘love’. The fact is that as a political party, BJP has been active in creating issues and narrative[Read More…]
Co-Written by Tehzeeb Anis & Mohammad Akram Mental health is one of the most important aspect in the life of an individual. It includes cognitive, behavioural and emotional well-being. Mental health is all about how an individual think, feel and behave. The World Health Organization (WHO) had also focus on the importance of mental health and given a comprehensive definition.[Read More…]
Following public protest against the new Police Act which put curbs on free speech, the left ruled Kerala government has decided to put on hold the implementation of the act. It is not clear whether the government is going to repeal the act. In a statement, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said “the Government of Kerala will not go ahead with[Read More…]
Commemorating 25th anniversary of spark ignited in Padmagiri-Pandaripani landmark struggle This week we commemorate 25 years since the launching of the peasant struggle in Padmagiri Pandaripani in Malkangiri in Orissa which was landmark event in history of Indian revolutionary Movement. Such agitations are the turning point in the seeking of liberation of the oppressed from the clutches of exploiter classes.[Read More…]
In the politics of Bangladesh, opposition parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party frequently say that massive movement will be carried out to oust the government, whereas the ruling party, the Bangladesh Awami League, repeatedly responds that oppositions’ anti-government movement will be tackled with full strength. Even if no massive anti-government movement was carried out as said and political situation[Read More…]
Once upon a time there was a village called Jaampur. This village was dominated by a few powerful persons, the headman and some moneylenders who took away a big part of the produce of the hard work of people. Whether it was farming or forests or quarries , these few big men were dominant everywhere. However more recently people fed[Read More…]
In this mystifying moment, the post-electoral sentiments of most Americans can be summed up either as “Ding dong! The witch is dead!” or “We got robbed!” Both are problematic, not because the two candidates were intellectually indistinguishable or ethically equivalent, but because each jingle is laden with a dubious assumption: that President Donald Trump’s demise would provide either decisive deliverance[Read More…]
We were all taught in grade school of the story of the ‘ Trojan Horse’ . In it’s war with Troy the Greeks built a gift of a giant horse. They informed the Trojans that , after 10 years of war, they had had enough. Once inside of Troy, the Greek horse, filled with armed men, attacked the unknowing Trojans.[Read More…]
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and his leader Asaduddin Owaisi became a hot topic in the Hindi belt of Indian political circles during the Bihar Assembly election – 2020. In the election, AIMIM has won five seats – Kochadhaman, Amour, Bahadurganj, Baisi, and Jokihat – in the Seemanachal region of Bihar. This region comprises Purnia, Katihar, Kishanganj, and Araria districts[Read More…]
Co-Written by Dr. Md Afroz & Md Tabrez Introduction The formation of Jharkhand on the behest of development and change in the life of local people were actually political gimmick to encash the euphoric regional sentiments for power. The ruling national parties used to retreat in policy matters that threatens their political stability in changing political atmosphere due to the[Read More…]
Just as it takes grit and perseverance to break the mighty mountains, standing up to the oppressor demands conviction, solidarity and sustained agitations. Dhinkia, a small village in the costal district Jagatsinghpur of the Odisha state is a living testimony to this. Famous for its sweetest paan (betel vines), the village (also a Gram Panchayat) for decades has seen the[Read More…]
A Rehash of anti-worker policies, to serve imperialist and Comprador Big Business interests, in the name of ease-of-doing-business There is little that is new in the labour codes on wages, social security and occupational safety and health; the measure promises a few sops, but further nullifies workers’ rights and dilutes enforcement of labour laws. This is Part-2[Read More…]
Several leading Hindi newspapers have brazenly mouthed the Hindutva narrative of anti-woman and anti-Muslim “Love-Jihad” conspiracy theory and justified the proposal of the BJP ruled state to come out with a strong law against it. “Love-Jihad” is a conspiracy theory designed and propagated by the Hindutva forces to demonize the Muslim men for feigning love for the Hindu women.[Read More…]
In the Left ruled Kerala state of India, a very stringent amendment in the Kerala Police Act has been implemented from Saturday to curb the offensive and defamatory social media posts. The offenders will face five years in jail, Rs.10,000 fine, or both. The controversial Section 118A was added to Kerala Police Act through an ordinance two months ago and[Read More…]
Climate change provides the strangest example of a problem which is very widely and increasingly recognized by the best available scientific opinion to be a huge and definite danger to basic life nurturing conditions of our planet, and yet, in the decades after this became convincingly established, the emissions which cause this have been permitted to increase beyond dangerous limits.[Read More…]
In his 1845 book “The Condition of the Working Class in England”, Friedrich Engels wrote: “When one individual inflicts bodily injury upon another, such injury that death results, we call the deed manslaughter; when the assailant knew in advance that the injury would be fatal, we call his deed murder. But when society places hundreds of proletarians in such a[Read More…]
More than one million nomads of Jammu and Kashmir, mostly from the Gujjar and Bakkarwal communities, who prefer living in temporary sheds or mud houses in the forests and mountains, are facing forcible evictions from the government. The action has outraged all political and social circles across the region. Contrary to Kashmiri Muslims, the nomads of the Jammu and Kashmir[Read More…]
With the recent Democratic win in the US election, all sorts of people have been calling for a “lowering of the temperature,” “coming together,” and “forgiving and forgetting.” “Let’s heal,” they say and “move forward.” “Now,” they say, “is not the time for politics.” Notoriously- and righteously- missing from this group of what Pankaj Mishra would call “Bland Fanatics,” are[Read More…]
It has been the most keenly followed election in U.S. history. The entire world had been on tenterhooks anxiously waiting for the outcome in the early week of November. According to some foreign policy experts, the last four years had witnessed a remarkable change in U.S. policies with the outside world under the garb of “America First,” which has, in[Read More…]
In the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic the crisis in Indian economy has accentuated and this deepening crisis has most adversely affected some of the poorest sections of society. While the need for government policy to deliver an adequate stimulus package for the economy is felt widely, there is wide difference of opinion regarding the precise form this should[Read More…]
The lifelong struggle of ‘CreA’ Ramakrishnan, who passed away in Chennai mid-November, to create an authentic Tamil dictionary was a truly remarkable one. And just before he tragically died due to complications related to Covid-19, he did manage to do bring out the revised third edition of his landmark Tamil dictionary, working on it even while undergoing treatment. Ramakrishnan founded[Read More…]
Roger Hallam, co-founder of Extinction Rebellion/XR recently interviewed Peter Carter, M.D., who has the distinguished title – Expert IPCC Reviewer for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The interview was conducted to get to the bottom of what science says about the state of affairs, specifically the health of the planet. The following is a video link to that brilliant[Read More…]
“Making billions from arms exports which fuel the conflict while providing a small fraction of that in aid to Yemen is both immoral and incoherent.” So thundered Oxfam’s Yemen Country Director, Muhsin Siddiquey after consulting figures from the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) showing that members of the G20 have exported over $17 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia[Read More…]
A new term has imposed itself on the conversation regarding the impending presidency of US President-elect, Joe Biden: “The Total Reset”. Many headlines have already promised that the Biden Presidency is ready to ‘reset’ US foreign policy across the globe, as if the matter is dependent solely on an American desire and decision. While a ‘total reset’ is, perhaps, possible[Read More…]
Australia’s ABC is the Australian version of the UK BBC and has a charter demanding balanced reportage. However Australia is a slavish lackey of the US, and in practice that balance means massive lying by omission by the ABC in relation to US, UK and Apartheid Israeli war criminality. The ABC has a Search function that reveals the astonishing degree[Read More…]
Today in our deeply troubled world several problems have reached a situation where the basic life-nurturing conditions of our planet are threatened. These include serious environmental problems like climate change and the accumulation and the race for weapons of mass destruction. In addition there are the long-persisting problems of injustice, inequality and exploitation which are perhaps the most common cause[Read More…]
There is a debate on what the New Labour Codes recently enacted by the Modi Government mean for the Working-class of the country. The government and the ruling party are claiming that nearly 29 labour laws of the country are simplified into 4 Codes without causing any prejudice to the existing rights and benefits of the workers and[Read More…]
Historian Uma Chakravarti said there was cause for hope, as more young women were getting together and organizing, and the state apparatus appears to be reacting in some panic when a case of sexual violence is reported. She was commenting on the hurried cremation that the Uttar Pradesh police felt forced to give to the victim in Hathras, whose body[Read More…]
I was simply down the street. The broken stones of the road whisper unspoken messages, of how many human feet have crossed the road. Of how many broken wings would have fallen off this road; Babies crying for milk people starving at the signal stories of so many people stretched before my eyes. I’m the beggar who owns the flute[Read More…]
Co-Written by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J S Davies Donald Trump loves executive orders as a tool of dictatorial power, avoiding the need to work through Congress. But that works both ways, making it relatively easy for President Biden to reverse many of Trump’s most disastrous decisions. Here are ten things Biden can do as soon as he takes office.[Read More…]
As chief conductor of the saint factory, Pope John Paul II was always going to be, in time, canonised. Almost 500 saints were created under his watch. The previous 600 years had seen 300. But declaring him a saint in 2014, a mere nine years after his death, was speedy by the standards of the Vatican. Critics, and those more[Read More…]
Co-Written by Cassandra Stimpson and Holly Zhang A Rising China Lifts All Boats (Submarines, Aircraft Carriers, and Surface Ships), Not to Speak of Fighter Planes, in the Military-Industrial Complex War: what is it good for? Apparently, in Washington’s world of think tanks, the answer is: the bottom line. In fact, as the Biden presidency approaches, an era of great-power competition[Read More…]
With 16,000 mosques damaged in recent years, the autonomous region of Xinjiang now has the lowest number of Muslim houses of worship since the 1960s Cultural Revolution (AFP) To persecute the Uyghur Muslims, the demolition of mosques across China in recent times has drawn an international outcry. It started with the detention of the Muslims in internment camps in Xinjiang[Read More…]
There is toxicity in the air everywhere but more than that the poison in the virtual world can be the reason for huge damage to our social fabric and democratic society. American media has the spine to stop President Donald Trump’s press conference in between when they felt that he was lying and could pose a danger to the whole[Read More…]
Why does not the nation move? First educate the nation. Even for social reforms, the first duty is to educate the people. – Swami Vivekananda Education helps develop the human personality and sense of dignity while acting as a tool for effective participation in society by enabling the understanding of the key facets of its being. Education has an intrinsic[Read More…]
Aysha Baqir, an expat in Singapore, grew up in Pakistan. Her time in college sparked a passion for economic development. In 1998 she founded a pioneering not for profit economic development organization, Kaarvan Crafts Foundation, with a mission to alleviate poverty by providing business and marketing training to girls and women in low-income communities. Her novel Beyond the Fields was published in[Read More…]
Dear Prof. Noam Chomsky, Hope you and your family are keeping well and safe physically in such trying times. We are writing to you after having just discovered that you are scheduled to participate in the Tata Lit Live event, the annual Literature festival by one of the most notorious corporations in India, the Tata Group. It comes as a[Read More…]
Popular uprising refers to the action or an act of rising or uprising by the people in a country involving large numbers to confirm its general support to the cause or causes which led to the uprising. It includes rebellion or revolt arising from a pre-conceived plan or being spurred spontaneously generating mass support for the justifiable and deserving demands.[Read More…]
Erich Fromm, the renowned German-Jewish social psychologist who was forced to flee his homeland in the early 1930s as the Nazis came to power, offered a disturbing insight later in life on the relationship between society and the individual. In the mid-1950s, his book The Sane Society suggested that insanity referred not simply to the failure by specific individuals to[Read More…]
Education is supposed to encourage critical thinking. However, if critical thinking ever were a part of the education curriculum, it usually goes out the window around Remembrance Day. Take, for instance, Canada Remembers Times the Veterans’ Week Special Edition (5-11 November 2020). It is published by Veterans Affairs Canada and made available in BC provincial elementary schools. On page one[Read More…]
Presidential Election in Stained Democracy When false claims challenge the truth, it breeds fearful and ferocious public outcomes. No wonder, why the American masses are more divided today than any time in recent history. American presidential elections failed to produce a viable prospect for the working of democracy. The nation is entrenched in an unending political crisis, more of opinions[Read More…]
Belgium is furious. On November 6, the Belgian government condemned Israel’s destruction of Belgian-funded homes in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank. Understandably, Brussels wants the Israeli government to pay compensation for the unwarranted destruction. The Israeli response was swift: a resounding ‘no’. The diplomatic row is likely to fizzle out soon; neither will Israel cease its illegal demolitions of Palestinian[Read More…]
In lieu of writing reviews of their own books – with the exception of Walt Whitman, who did that with Leaves of Grass – writers often write introductions or prefaces. The purpose of such introductions is to give the prospective readers a sense of what to expect in the pages that follow, as if the author knew exactly what[Read More…]
Whether Government of India is extending its censorship power to news and current affairs’? The notification by President Ramnath Kovind extends the power to pre-censor cinema content on the Internet platform. At the same time, does it surreptitiously attempt to censor news and current affairs also? The Constitution of India authorised[Read More…]
This is an appraisal of Islamophobia, mainly in the West, and the so-called Westophobia among Muslims from a different viewpoint. I believe that since all wars are “trade wars”, the ideological conflicts between Islam and Western civilizations are primarily motivated by economic reasons, so they are “trade wars” by other means! I have mainly cited examples from the US and[Read More…]
India has always been a favorite destination for tourists. This country, with its ancient civilization, culture and heritage, is a paradise of diversity. This country is diverse in all aspects, such as ethnicity, religion, language, culture, climate, and lifestyles. All the fragments of human civilization are hidden within the shell of India. In Rajasthan I have been fortunate to visit[Read More…]
The jailed scholar and activist, who is being incarcerated by the world’s so called largest democracy, has been recognized as this year’s person by a Vancouver-based online magazine that covers alternative politics. Radical Desi has declared Anand Teltumbde as Person of the Year 2020 for being in the news after his arrest on trumped up charges. Teltumbde has authored many[Read More…]
Previously in power for almost three decades, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) of Ethiopia finally is approaching their end days and as we say here in the Horn of Africa, “they are digging their own grave”. The TPLF has been Africa’s, if not the world’s, most corrupt, brutal, genocidal regime for the past 30 years. Removed from national power[Read More…]
Co-Written by James M. Dorsey and Alessandro Arduino Public debates about China’s Middle East policy are as much internal Chinese discussions as they are indications of where Beijing’s thinking is going and efforts to nudge countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to accommodate potential policy changes. Relying on scholars rather than officials, China is signalling to Gulf[Read More…]
Nagpur has been a traditional and fertile hub for voluntary organizations, reformist individuals and social workers. It has been home to a number of dedicated activists whose social chromosomes have inspired them to undertake humanitarian work for their fellow brethren of society at large. The result is a confluence of so many rivulets of social activism which have merged into[Read More…]
The cover of the book says it all. The multi-colored umbrella in traditional applique on the cover of Bhaskar Parichha’s book ‘No Strings Attached: Writings on Odisha’, in a way, beautifully portrays what is there inside. The book is a panoramic view of Odisha as it has evolved in the last two decades. It is a compendium of commentaries[Read More…]
‘Kaun Banega Karodpati’ (KBC) is probably one of the most successful mega programs on TV channels, with bumper prizes in toe. In its recent episode (Karmayog, November 2020) the host of the show Amitabh Bachan, following the script, asked a question as to which book was burned by Dr. Ambedkar. The correct answer was Manusmriti. The show also had Bezwada[Read More…]
In the mist of the gloom generated by the twin health and economic crises, the birth of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a ray of light auguring hope. More than a million lives have been lost world-wide as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, there is massive unemployment and entire societies have been devastated. For the 10 ASEAN[Read More…]
Last four years of Trump presidency has been the most chaotic if not the most problematic that the US and the world at large have experienced, ever. Mr. Trump’s governing style has been unique and bewildering. He made White House a twitter factory – made policies, hired and fired people and attacked his opponents through twitters. Furthermore, and not[Read More…]
Co-Written by Dr Swati Sapna & Upasna Gaba The concept of watching television has transitioned significantly since the last decade. Traditional television scheduling made viewers stick to the timings of television programming, subjected them to commercials, and made them wait for their favourite shows or films for days or weeks (1). In this digital era, the methods and speed of[Read More…]
Masks can prove liberating. The hidden face affords security. Obnoxious authority breathes better, hiding in comfort. Behind the material, confidence finds a home. While tens of millions of jobs have been lost to the novel coronavirus globally, security services, surveillance officers and pen pushers are thriving, policing admissions to facilities, churning through health and safety declarations, and generally making a[Read More…]
On 12 March 2020, British PM Boris Johnson, referring to COVID-19, informed the public: “We’ve all got to be clear; this is the worst public health crisis for a generation.” Since that time, we have seen lockdowns, on ongoing government-backed fear campaign, fundamental rights being stripped away, dissent censored, inflated COVID-19 death numbers and the use of a flawed PCR[Read More…]
On the eve of his defeat as President of the United States, Donald Trump chose not to utter so much as a word at the 2020’s 11th Hour of the 11th day of the 11th month Remembrance Day wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument in the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. To this writer, Trump’s odd[Read More…]
The 1980 film Brubaker starring Robert Redford, based on a true story, had one scene that told it all. Reform warden Henry Brubaker gets fired for seeking to uncover past corruption surrounding the penitentiary. As he is walking away down the hallway, his friend Lillian, who works for the governor and actually got him the job, runs after him. She[Read More…]
Joe Biden won the 2020 US Presidential Election after narrowly defeating the sitting president Donald Trump. This victory comes at a tremendous cost: the defeat of an incipient counter-hegemonic movement which embryonically expressed demands for an alternative future to capitalism. Even after the collective utterance of anger against police brutality and the nascent realization of the structural violence of capitalism, the electoral mechanisms of[Read More…]
Co-Written by Sandeep Pandey,Bobby Ramakantand & Kushagra Kumar 48 years old Faisal Khan has invested his entire life to strengthen communal harmony. With the intent to maintain and promote peace and harmony between people and communities he took out countless marches not just within India but also between India and Pakistan. He can recite verses from Ramcharitmanas and from the[Read More…]
Very often it is our disabling attitudes that make life difficult for people with disabilities, rather than their own physical impairments. More than the disability itself, it is its psychological effects that take a bigger toll on the person, says wheelchair bound Tanzila Khan, a disability rights activist who founded GirlyThings.pk. Tanzila shared her anguish in lead up to the[Read More…]
The New Politics of the Poor in Joe Biden’s (and Mitch McConnell’s) USA In the two weeks since Election 2020, the country has oscillated between joy and anger, hope and dread in an era of polarization sharpened by the forces of racism, nativism, and hate. Still, truth be told, though the divisive tone of this moment may only be sharpening,[Read More…]
In what critics are calling a parting gift to the fossil fuel industry, the Trump administration on Tuesday will ask oil and gas companies to choose which areas of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska—which is the sacred homeland of the Gwich’in Indigenous people—they would like to drill. The Washington Post reports the administration’s call for nominations is a key part of a rush[Read More…]
*Sushanti Marandi was born blind in a remote village of Dumka ( Jharkhand). To make things even more difficult, her father died when she was still a small child. Now her mother had to go on daily wage work to meet subsistence needs and the blind child grew up alone in a small lonesome house in the most difficult situation[Read More…]
The Communist movement faced a major loss with the departure of Comrade Jaswantha Rao, who was the secretary of the Tarimela Nagi Reddy memorial Trust,last August. Sadly he was victim of the Corona epidemic . For over 4 decades he made an invaluable contribution towards shimmering the torch of Marxism- Leninism-Mao Thought as an activist and writer. His most striking[Read More…]
‘Love jihad’ is an abhorrent, insidious, reactionary, patriarchal, misogynist and anti-Muslim political project of Hindutva forces to undermine liberal, secular and constitutional democratic society in India. The freedom to love and marry in India is part of the right to life and liberty guaranteed by the Indian constitution. It is further fortified by the Special Marriage Act (1954), which upholds[Read More…]
The Hindu Nov 17 reported: “Supreme Court Justice U.U. Lalit who was to hear three petitions seeking action against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, has recused himself and has asked the Chief Justice to assign the cases to another Bench. Justice Lalit, who was heading the three-judge Bench hearing the petitions, gave the reason that he[Read More…]
Recently Justice K Chandru, wrote an article explaining how in the beginning the Chief Justice of India responded to complaints by Bar Association against a sitting Judge of Andhra Pradesh High Court . Former Judge of Madras High Court Justice Chandru pointed out that there were complaints against AP HC Judge Justice P Chandra Reddy, and the then Chief Justice[Read More…]
Health care will be a major issue early in the new Biden/Harris administration. Unemployment is still high with over a million people applying for unemployment benefits last week and 42.6% of working age people without a job. In the United States, losing employment often means losing health insurance. On top of the 30 million people who are already uninsured, it is estimated that nearly[Read More…]
In a recent blog post, former Union finance secretary SC Garg said he sought voluntary retirement from the IAS prematurely as he did not get along with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Now, Swadeshi Andolan, a group of mostly farmer activists who have taken up a large number of public interest issues, has written to President Ramnath Kovind and Prime Minister[Read More…]
Traveling around Venezuela in 2005, it occurred to me that the paint merchants must be doing very well. There had been a recall referendum the year before. The question on the ballot was a simple yes or no: Shall President Hugo Chávez be recalled? The word “NO” was still painted on walls, pillars, even random rocks along the highway everywhere[Read More…]
Imagine for a moment that Hillary Clinton had won the presidential election in 2016. Imagine, in other words, that the “blue wall” of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania had held firm four years ago. Claiming election fraud, Donald Trump would have insisted on a recount and Election Day would then, too, have stretched into election week and election month. Eventually, Trump[Read More…]
The perils of Indian economy are products of directionless economic policies of Modi government. It is led by ignorant leadership and arrogance of Hindutva politics based on exclusionary ideology, which is inspired by European Nazism and fascism. There is a method madness in the reactionary politics of BJP and RSS. It intends to convert multicultural India into a monolithic India[Read More…]
In no country, people are sent to gas chambers to die –Hon’ble Supreme Court of India on manual scavenging The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 aims to bring stricter provisions for the safeguard of the manual scavengers in terms of compensation for sewer deaths, rehabilitation plans and provision of safety equipment at work.[Read More…]
Co-Written by Dr. Md Afroz & MD Tabrez Alam Jharkhand is considered one among the richest state in contemporary India because of its rich mineral resources and historical legacies of commercial and cultural wealth of past. Despite having industrialized state, it continues to face the challenges of socio-economic depravation; such as poverty, illiteracy, poor health services and discursive politics.[Read More…]
The mainstream media has again shown its upper-caste character in analyzing the result of the Bihar Assembly Elections 2020. While it has hailed “the Modi magic” for helping the NDA win the state assembly elections, it has blamed the collective memory of Jungle Raj for the defeat of RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. The term ‘Jungle Raj’ means a collapse of law and[Read More…]
A Statement in Solidarity with Professor Shilpa Singh, Goa, who is being targeted by the Hindutva forces for her rational thinking and teaching Shilpa Singh is a 31-year-old professor of Political Sciences in VM Salgaocar College of Law, Goa (VMSCL). Since June 2019, she has been teaching this discipline to students of the BA-LLB Course that this college offers. Being[Read More…]
Just as the BJP increased its support base by making Mayawati the Chief Minister in Uttar Pradesh, similarly it increased its strength by making Nitish Kumar the Chief Minister in Bihar. Both Mayawati and Nitish were the faces of social change and secular politics, but the BJP made both of them the face of Hindutva. Not only made the face,[Read More…]
There is worldwide realization that food system has been becoming less safe and healthy. This is to a large extent because of the use of excessive chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Some of the inputs used in fact have been found to be so poisonous and harmful that it is a very sad surprise how their use in food and[Read More…]
Weakened by Joe Biden’s electoral defeat of US President Donald J. Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu risks being caught between a rock and a hard place as Jordan, the Palestine Authority and the United Arab Emirates manoeuvre for control of what is to Jews the Temple Mount and to Muslims the Haram ash-Sharif, the third most holy site in[Read More…]
While it may be true that the participation of Kashmiri people, both, in terms of the contesting candidates followed by the voters (if any) in the upcoming District Development Council (DDC) elections may help the BJP in covering up or at-least diluting the national and international antagonism that resulted from the August 2019’s unconstitutional changes to the status of Jammu[Read More…]
In September 11, both India and China optimistically agreed to reduce tensions, caused by China’s occupation of Indian lands, with a joint statement in Moscow made by the foreign ministers of respective parties on the need to achieve results through negotiations and military de-escalation. In actual fact, the recent Sino-India border clashes, which started between the two Asian nuclear armed[Read More…]
One dogma that is likely to persist in US foreign policy during a Biden presidency will be the sanctions regime adopted towards Iran. Every messianic state craves clearly scripted enemies, and the demonology about the Islamic Republic is not going to go begging. Elliot Abrahams, the current US special representative for Iran, told Associated Press on November 12 that, “Even[Read More…]
An interview conducted by Stephen Shenfield of the World Socialist Party of the United States with Dmitry Kosmachev, a member of the Minsk Socialist Circle, about the situation in Belarus, the current protests, and where they may lead. Stephen Shenfield: In the 1990s I made visits to five of the new post-Soviet republics – Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan. I[Read More…]
The election is now over and Joe Biden is the President-elect. What is likely to happen after Biden is inaugurated? The incoming Biden administration will face numerous huge problems left behind by the Trump administration. It is likely that Covid-19 will still be a major concern here and in many other nations around the world. President Biden will also have[Read More…]
Trump is gone and not a minute too soon. You know he’s treated very unfairly. Horribly. The IRS treats him very unfairly. Everyone’s nasty to him. Just recently Leslie Stahl was very nasty to him. At the same time, the Proud Boys are standing down and standing by. I have to wonder if there aren’t some that cringe and wish[Read More…]
Children’s Day or Bal Diwas in India is celebrated every year on Nov. 14th, six days before the rest of the world, on the birth anniversary of the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. This year marks Nehru’s 131st birth anniversary. Children’s day, originally, was celebrated on Nov. 20th as Universal Children’s Day by the United Nations. India also[Read More…]
On the 131st birth anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru people paid him rich tribute but a number of notorious IT cell members of the Rumour spreading society did their dirty work which they have been engaged in through their character assassination of Nehru. Obviously, the attempt to degrade Nehru has not succeeded and he has become[Read More…]
The new Jammu and Kashmir Development Act is being celebrated as a special achievement of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra tweeted, “OUSIDERS CAN NOW BUY LAND IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR”. At least 11 land laws in the state have been amended, without inputs from residents of the state. Seven political parties, under the umbrella[Read More…]
A few days ago, I participated in a webinar that introduced me to Paul Chappell, a thoughtful peace activist with an extraordinary history. Born in 1980, Chappell grew up in Alabama, the son of an immigrant Korean mother and a violent mixed-race father traumatized by military service in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. His abusive home environment shaped in him[Read More…]
With a confirmed caseload of more than 8.5 million as on 08 November 2020, India is the second Covid power in the world. The USA is of course on top of the heap with more than 10 million cases. Infection rate (cases per 1000 population) is 31 in the world, 6.1 in India, and 31 on the US. Andorra, an[Read More…]
Music Concerts Captured in Lines- A case study of – Creative Artist and Process of ‘Positive Transference’. ‘Rekhanit Maifili’, literally it means “Live concerts of Artists captured in Sketches or in Lines”. The first sight of the Book made me curious since pages after pages of the Book; exhibited classical beauty and Modeling of Characters captured in sketches and more[Read More…]
How can one let go of a person who has lived just five and a half decades? The only reason why Sheena’s family-her mother Gracy, her sister Neena, her niece Bhoomi and nephew Kannan, her brothers , her partner Santosh along with scores of friends across Kerala did so was the intensity and cruelty of the terminal illness that devoured[Read More…]
Kerala on the 3rd of November has witnessed yet another instance of an alleged encounter between Maoists and the state police force. The incident occurred at the Bappanam Mala forest area that comes under the South Wayanad Forest Division, in the northern district of Wayanad. According to police, they were on regular morning patrol of the area, when the Maoists[Read More…]
With Farm Bills rammed through Parliament, the ethnic majoritarian ‘sarkar’, the deep state and elites have initiated another covert attack to dismantle the subsistence economy of rural India. Instead of focusing on poverty reduction measures these enactments facilitate the accumulation of profits by the agro industry monopolies. Without Government intervention and support direct income of the peasant farmer is reduced,[Read More…]
Analysts are still grappling with the fallout from the US election. Trumpism proved a far more enduring and alluring phenomenon than most media pundits expected. Defying predictions, Trump improved his share of the overall vote compared to his 2016 win, and he surprised even his own team by increasing his share of minority voters and women. But most significantly, he[Read More…]
In January 2017, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)’s Democracy Index downgraded the state of democracy in the United States from “full democracy” to “flawed democracy”. The demotion of a country that has constantly prided itself, not only on being democratic but also on championing democracy throughout the world, took many by surprise. Some US pundits challenged the findings altogether. However,[Read More…]
Bihar State Assembly election results has taken not only the political analysts but also the people of Bihar into huge surprise. Above all it has further depressed the especially the returnee migrants and the youth of Bihar. Realising the hard fact that they cannot depend upon their government both -state and central- they left their families, their place and[Read More…]
Barack Obama’s new memoirs selective reporting have given another handle to the opponents of Rahul Gandhi to mock at him. Most of the time, once an election is passed and if Congress performs better, media does not speak about Rahul Gandhi but if the party fails, they start not only mocking at him and want him to be replaced or[Read More…]
The intensity of a war has been built up in Punjab like an inferno by the farming community, protesting the wrath of the three 2020 agricultural labour bills and Electricity bill. The scenes at railways stations, petrol pumps or malls were reminiscent of a deluge. With the relentlessness of a great army confronting tyranny the Punjab peasantry have confronted the[Read More…]
Co-Written by Sandeep Pandey and Kushagra Kumar The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has now on numerous occasions claimed that the state has been rid of criminals, who have either been killed in the 125 encounter deaths that have taken place or they have got their bails cancelled and gone back to jails after he took over the reins as CM[Read More…]
All the books and valuable documents from the library of the Maharashtra government’s headquarters, Mantralaya, in Mumbai are dumped since the last three years into a godown, no one knows where. The same is the case with the Central library which the Maharashtra government is supposed to look after. The library is one of the four libraries in the country[Read More…]
Good governance, a much talked–about concept in political and development discourse in the contemporary world and closely related to the concept of ‘governance’ that usually indicates the process of decision–making and the process by which decisions are implemented, is obviously crucial to successfully deal with catastrophic situations caused by the COVID–19. But there is a clear paucity of good governance[Read More…]
“What is the robbing of the bank compared to the founding of a bank”…BERTOLT BRECHT November 2020 witnessed America affirming that it isn’t just its name that embodies unity but that it breathes the democratic ‘unity’ of the age. So far as we are told, it was a victory of conscience over everything that we consider evil (And the paternal[Read More…]
On 10 November 2020, the United States secretary-of-state Mike Pompeo, he of the ill-famed confession “We lied, we cheated, we stole,” spoke at the Ronald Reagan Institute. The liar Pompeo can even speak candidly, “I’ve talked about American exceptionalism. I did so in Brussels; I did it in Cairo; I did it in Jakarta, and every opportunity that I’ve had[Read More…]
A sense of redundancy might encourage calm. The job is done, however well or poorly. The legacy charted. But in the case of President Donald Trump, there is still much to be done. Leaving aside his priority of fortifying himself in the White House against any bailiff onslaught by president-elect Joe Biden, he is busy making decisions. One of them[Read More…]
Record Numbers of War-Displaced to Be Dwarfed by Those Driven From Their Homes by Climate Change I saw them for only a few seconds. One glimpse and they were gone. The young woman wore a brown headwrap, a yellow short-sleeved shirt, and a long pink, red, and blue floral-patterned skirt. She held the reins of the donkey pulling her rust-pink[Read More…]
Experiencing Cancer is one of the most disturbing and distressing feelings that leaves a significant impact on the human psyche with threats to psychological, physical and psychological aspects of human life. Many people across the world are fighting the deadly disease, which is affecting the people irrespective of their age, sex, or ethnicity. According to the National Institute of Cancer[Read More…]
Greek philosopher Plato had once said that the upbringing of a child should start before his birth. Although he primarily focused on prenatal gymnastics, a specific component of it pointed towards parenting education. Children feel comfortable when parents exhibit confidence, which gives them a feeling of being in safe hands. Anxiety and insecurity brings discomfort in the relationship, which[Read More…]
Co-Written by Annesha Mukherjee & Satyaki Dasgupta The popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi saw a rise according to India Today’s ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll. Similar results were also observed in Gaon Connection-Lok Niti-CSDS survey. Some of the economic policies that his popular government has introduced since the advent of COVID-19 include three Bills on agricultural market reforms, three[Read More…]
A new freely downloadable book I would like to announce the publication of a new book, in which I have tried to sketch human history, from earliest times until the present, against a cosmic backdrop. The book may be downloaded and circulated free of charge from the following link: http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/A-History-of-the-Earth-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf The place of humans in nature According to modern cosmology,[Read More…]
Australia has given the world two influential and disruptive exports in the field of media. One, currently in London’s Belmarsh Prison, is facing the prospect of extradition to the United States for charges that could see him serve a 175 year sentence in a brutal, soul destroying supermax. The other, so the argument goes, should also be facing the prospect[Read More…]
“Difficulties in your life do not come to destroy you but to help you release the hidden potential and power”. This quote by the late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, a scientist and the 11th President of India, is the dictum for nurse Divya Sojan, who during the 11 years of her nursing career, has battled with tuberculosis (TB) thrice. Here[Read More…]
Co-Written by Dr. Swati Sapna & Upasna Gaba Organ donation is when a person allows an organ of theirs to be removed, legally, either by consent while the donor is alive or after the death of the donor with the approval of the near relative (Tamuli et al., 2019). Transplantations are the next that follow organ donations that include kidney, heart,[Read More…]
“The two greatest obstacles to democracy in the United States are, first, the widespread delusion among the poor that we have a democracy, and second, the chronic terror among the rich, lest we get it.” Edward Dowling Of late we have been seeing many articles lamenting the role of the Press and Media in today’s society and complaining how it is[Read More…]
“If we are going to live another four years with President Trump, God help us, God help you and God help the whole world.” These were the words of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister, Mohammed Shtayyeh, during a virtual meeting with European legislators on November 3. While some may agree with Shtayyeh’s assessment, such utterances by a top Palestinian official are[Read More…]
The continuation of Nitish Kumar led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar with an absolute majority, winning 125 seats, three more than the halfway mark needed for a victory amounts to be a functional mandate rather than ‘people’s mandate’ for the existing chief minister as Janata Dal (United) could emerge as 3rd largest political party despite of 15 years[Read More…]
Bihar is the only state in India that is extremely unpredictable when it comes to politics. In the Most backward state of India, a Bihari must move out of Bihar to match up with the rest of India, to get out of destitution, or to make it big. Undoubtedly, Bihar has dragged India’s ranking on all Development Index for over[Read More…]
Education is the most powerful weapon that can be used to make fruitful changes in our society. India is a democratic country bearing enriched legitimacy in educational traditions. The people of this country have always been blessed with the educational ideals and thoughts of its great sons like Chanakya, Swami Vivekananda, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Aurobindo Ghosh, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Maulana[Read More…]
The Bihar results are out and have proved that those who tried to influence the polls before or after through their ‘exit’ strategies had egg on their face. I have not really believed reading all these during this period but I have found two things watching and observing various ‘experts’. As the ‘patrakars’ who claim ‘grounded’ in reality are concerned,[Read More…]
Co-Written by Hasina Khan and Rishika Jain The atrocities faced by the Muslim community adversely affects their mental well-being “It doesn’t matter if we have a stable job or not, if we’re economically independent; the fear of getting arrested purely due to our religion never stops.” Khadijha from Mushidabad “My past experiences with a mental health practitioner were unproductive and[Read More…]
The return of Lord Rama from Lanka to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana was celebrated by lighting diyas, earthen lamps etc. And historically speaking, this is the primary reason behind celebrating Diwali or Deepawali, although different communities have different reasons for celebrating the same. Even if we flip over the pages of our books, we would find the mention of the[Read More…]
The Surrey City Councillor whose efforts led to the recognition of state sponsored massacre of Sikhs in India was presented with medal by members of Indians Abroad for Pluralist India on Tuesday, November 10. Mandeep Nagra was instrumental behind the Sikh Genocide Remembrance Month proclamation read out by Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum on Monday night. Thirty-six years after the well-organized[Read More…]
Sinhalese leaders betrayed the Tamil leaders who fought shoulder to shoulder to gain independence from the British. On February 4th 1048 two million Tamils of Ceylon [now Sri Lanka] exchanged their white masters British for the brown master {Sinhalese] it was like jumping from a frying pan into fire. Sri Lanka would not have gained independence from the British without[Read More…]
Trump has not yet accepted electoral defeat, and his remaining days as U.S. presidency until Biden’s inauguration may represent the period of greatest threat of armed intervention in Venezuela, especially before December 6, the date of the country’s next legislative elections. In addition to trying to judicially question the outcome of the elections – an increasingly remote possibility – Trump[Read More…]
In 2016 as now, he was the candidate of chaos. Yes, he was a billionaire (or wanna-be billionaire or in-hock billionaire, not to mention a liar, a cheat, and a scoundrel), but from the beginning he appealed to the forces of order in America that were also, as it happened, the forces of chaos. Donald Trump entered the presidential sweepstakes, or to be completely accurate rode[Read More…]
It is happening here. The soul of America is like the character Two Face in the Batman movie series. One defeat of the Party of Trump and its 73 million apparatchiks is not enough. In Trump, the United States has bred its own dictator in waiting and he’s got an army of servile apostles willing to fight and die for[Read More…]
In the afternoon of October 28, poet, theatre artist and Dalit rights champion Jayesh Solanki died by suicide at his home in Bhuvaldi, about 50 km from Gujarat capital Ahmedabad. During the Asmita Yatra after the flogging of the four youth at Una in 2016, Jayesh had emerged as a charismatic leader of Dalits on protest in Gujarat, vowing to[Read More…]
Finance is one field where we have witnessed significant innovations in recent decades, and this has transformed our society in many ways. Earlier, we could hardly visualise social change in rural India as it was mired in caste conflicts and was impervious to the winds of change. Before the 1980s, outsiders rarely visited villages. Those who did were the occasional[Read More…]
Mr Durga Shankar Mishra, the secretary of the union ministry of urban affairs, says that his son, an architect, cycles seven km from his home to his office in Delhi and back every day. That is the encouraging part. The younger generation can usher in a change. The not so good part is that most bureaucrats and politicians have little[Read More…]
Can the world be changed in any fundamental way or not? Will the methods one uses to change it end up doing more harm than good? Should one mind one’s own business or make the problems of the world one’s own too? These were some of the questions at the core of a debate I had over four decades ago[Read More…]
Some fifty-three years ago, in 1967, in Khartoum, Sudan, the Arab League met. Then the League adopted the moral high ground “The Three No’s”: no peace with Israel; no recognition of Israel; and, no negotiation with Israel. But today these moral principles are too costly to sustain for Sudan. Sudan is in deep economic difficulties, where petrol queues run[Read More…]
Scientists and science-informed activists say that to save the Planet there must be rapid cessation of fossil fuel exploitation, but oil, coal and gas use continue to rise. America and its lackeys Australia and Canada are variously committed to gas and a disastrous coal to gas transition (gas can be dirtier than coal greenhouse gas-wise). Pro-fossil fuels Trump has been[Read More…]
Now that the American election is all over, it should be the time to debate our future political activity. The Left insisted that Trump was the anti-Christ and that working people should vote for a lesser evil, the saintly figure of Joe Biden. But now with Biden in the White House they are telling us to begin organizing campaigns to[Read More…]
In the vastness and unending dimensions of the gigantic universe, consisting of zillions of galaxies interspersed with myriad number of interstitial bodies like stars, asteroids, and some devastating blackholes accompanied by abyssal silence, we are bestowed with a unique planet called Earth and more precisely “the Mother Earth” comparatively minuscule in size and remotely positioned. What is more intriguing and[Read More…]
After certain number of years of academic jargoning, learning and unlearning existing pedagogies, meandering through honky-dory lanes of rigorous materials prescribed in concerned “syllabi”, gnawing about a future of being in “academics”, I try to make sense of the exact amount of satisfaction I have felt till this point of my life’s journey. Entering “academia” was more of a part[Read More…]
Co-Written by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies Obama and Biden meet Gorbachev – did Biden learn anything? Credit: Wikimedia Commons Congratulations to Joe Biden on his election as America’s next president! People all over this pandemic-infested, war-torn and poverty-stricken world were shocked by the brutality and racism of the Trump administration, and are anxiously wondering whether Biden’s presidency[Read More…]
I usually agree with most of what columnist Caitlin Johnstone offers. Yet, in her latest Op Ed she says that a vote for Biden was NOT against fascism, which will continue now that he is in office. Sorry Caitlin, I agree with Prof. Cornell West on this election. We both feel that this Proto Fascist/ Neo Nazi culture, emboldened by[Read More…]
India is excited about an Indian origin Kamala Haris getting elected as the Vice President of USA. Kerala was particularly excited the other day when Priyanca Radhakrishnan, a first generation migrant from Kerala was appointed as a minister in the new government of Jacinda Arden of New Zealand. Neither in the case of Kamala nor Priyanca almost no one in[Read More…]
Vaccines have performed an important role in improving public health and saving human lives. All the scientists, labs, manufacturers and medical personnel who contributed to this deserve our deepest thanks and gratitude. However in recent years a different role of vaccines started emerging– vaccines as a source of huge profits. Things became more worrying when this role of vaccines[Read More…]
The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting at the end of January in Davos, Switzerland, brings together international business and political leaders, economists and other high-profile individuals to discuss global issues. Driven by the vision of its influential CEO Klaus Schwab, the WEF is the main driving force for the dystopian ‘great reset’, a tectonic shift that intends to change[Read More…]
Most exit polls, conducted after the final phase of the Bihar assembly elections, have shown the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) led Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) ahead of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). There is a wave of obvious joy in the leaders/workers of the Grand Alliance. Democratic and secular civil society activists, writers, artists, intellectuals plagued by RSS/BJP fascism are[Read More…]
“Gaan Chhadiba nahin, jami chaddiba nahin”[i] a prominent war cry, echoed in the sacred mountains, rivers, and streams of various districts at different space and times, captures the essence of people’s resistance to land dispossession in Odisha. Ranjana Padhi and Nigamananda Sadangi’s latest book ‘Resisting Dispossession: The Odisha Story’ stands as a distinct repository of diverse lived experience, everyday struggles[Read More…]
Massive conflicts erupted in September 27 between forces of Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, mostly governed by the unrecognized republic of Artsakh led by ethnic Armenians since the Karabakh war in 1990s. Initial conflicts started along the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact subsequently extended with bomb and missile attacks at a few main cities of both parties[Read More…]
I recently published for the Middle East Eye website a detailed analysis of last week’s report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission into the question of whether the UK Labour party had an especial antisemitism problem. (You can read a slightly fuller version of that article on my website.) In the piece, I reached two main conclusions. First, the[Read More…]
An UN document, Why teach about the Holocaust asserts, “Never before had civilians been targeted by military planners with such disregard for human life. Never before had a state pursued, as a matter of national policy, the complete and total destruction of groups identified as unworthy of living.” For the people of Palestine suffering the savage and sadistic 72-year Zionist[Read More…]
Mammals, birds and amphibians worldwide have lost on average 18% of their natural habitat range as a result of changes in land use and climate change, finds a new study. The scientists estimate that species have lost an average of 18% of their natural habitat range sizes thus far, and may lose up to 23% by 2100. The study (Robert[Read More…]
Reclaiming American Idealism: We Could Use A Leader Like George McGovern Again As I lived through the nightmare of the election campaign just past, I often found myself dreaming of another American world entirely. Anything but this one. In that spirit, I also found myself looking at a photo of my fourth-grade class, vintage 1972. Tacked to the wall behind[Read More…]
Introduction Regularly, the media has reported the dire effects of European dominance on the communities of a disenfranchised minority: the public execution of African-Americans by police, the epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in Canada, the shadow of residential schools in North America, the legacy of red-lining, the impact of the murders of the oil-rich Osage[Read More…]
Food stories have always attracted me, be they about the everyday available homely food, meat barbeque by a group of friends en route an adventurous camping or exquisite high-class dining. I believe each of these stories has its own share of bitter-sweet plots and characters. Motivated by my love for food and themes around it, I decided to write about[Read More…]
On November 1, the Commission to Study the Environment and Health Effects of Evolving 5G Technology in the US state of New Hampshire submitted its report to the governor of the state. It noted that the permissible radiation exposure rates in the US are among the highest in the world, and recorded that research within the country exists to show[Read More…]
The BJP leaders have failed to make development an electoral plank in the recently held Bihar Assembly Elections 2020. The Hindutva leaders, instead, have invoked Muslims, terrorism, and Pakistan in their electoral speeches. Last week the elections for the second (94 seats) and the third phase (78 seats) were held for 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly. During this period, the top[Read More…]
In the history of Indian societies ‘marriage’ as an institution has garnered a special place and has been ubiquitous in all sections and classes of the society. Within this finding a groom is a very seasoned activity. Mira Nair’s newest web series ‘A suitable boy’ is an adaptation of a novel by the same name authored by Vikram Seth in[Read More…]
Prefatory Note Before I begin with the issues that are properly the concern of this article, I would like to make some clarifications. Firstly, with this article, I would like to present my ideological and political stand on intellectual property, which, baldly put, is that it is not, and should not be treated as, property. Intellectual production takes place on[Read More…]
Co-Written by Dr Shekh Moinuddin & Dr Akhtar Hussain Ansari Bihar Assembly election 2020 was the first post Covid-19 election in India and considered decisive in terms of digital mapping when all election procedures and processes admired digital technology effectively and efficiently. We are living in the era of digital democracy when Covid-19 has left no choice to all of[Read More…]
Indians are ‘rejoicing’ over Kamala Harris becoming the ‘first’ woman vice president and that too with Indian origin. The other day, we saw Priyanka Radhakrishnanan being sworn in the Newzealand Ministry and Keralites have been proud of her ‘achievements’. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau already has four Ministers of Indian origin, three of them being Sikhs who are represented far[Read More…]
‘The spectacular victory of Narendra Modi and the BJP in 2014 and again in 2019 demands a nuanced exploration of the factors that led to it. Though the role of the middle class and the media in the making of what is called the ‘Modi Wave’ is often talked about, a clear-eyed and unbiased look at how they transformed[Read More…]
It is generally believed that Islam is a backward religion, reinforcing the beliefs of medieval period, if not of the ancient period, it is conservative and even fundamentalist in its outlook, and it motivates its followers to be intolerant and violent. Islam, it is further believed, is incompatible with modern values and political systems, including, secularism, freedom of religion, human[Read More…]
During the last 10 years I have written multiple articles documenting how Cuba has better medical practice and education than the US. To be honest, I have known for a long time that there is an area of medical training where medical students in the US get considerably more training than do those who study in Cuba. This realization came[Read More…]
The discussion on institutional Israeli racism against its own Palestinian Arab population has all but ceased following the final approval of the discriminatory Nation-State Law in July 2018. Indeed, the latest addition to Israel’s Basic Law is a mere start of a new government-espoused agenda that is designed to further marginalize over a fifth of Israel’s population. On Wednesday, October[Read More…]
A lot has changed in the region that formed the erstwhile Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir since the first week of August last year. The heart wrenching part is, people in the ‘mainland’ for the most part aren’t even informed about the same, since we have been forced to remain radically detached from the people in those regions. The[Read More…]
Absurd Scientific claims: The Brahmins induce below normal thinking by advocating absurdities. Their claims rest on the stories/fables told in their old books, Ramayana, Mahabharata or various Puranas. Some such claims are: a) Aeroplane in the Ramayana period b) Plastic surgery (claim by Ganesh deity which has human neck and head and lower part a elephant body) c) Existence of[Read More…]
The reality is that the Obama-Biden regime started more wars that even Bush Jr. Obama initiated wars in Libya, Syria & Yemen & carried on with the Occupation of Iraq & Afghanistan. Obama has dropped more bombs & undertaken more drone attacks than Bush Jr. He also targeted both Venezuela & Bolivia with sanctions & carried on with the Corporate[Read More…]
Atilio Boron, an Argentine political scientist and Professor at the University of Buenos Aires, wrote in 2017: “Revolutions aren’t carried out neatly and with the inexorable logic of trigonometric theorems. Revolution is like an immense cauldron in which historical processes are forged, with all their human limitations and social contradictions.” This statement has assumed renewed significance as leftists debate the contentious anti-blockade law passed by[Read More…]
A notable satellite-telephonic call to colleagues in late October from Swedish scientist Örjan Gustafsson of Stockholm University briefly described a haunting discovery. On board the research ship R/V Akademik Keldysh, a 6,240-ton Russian scientific research vessel equipped with 17 on-board laboratories and a library, far off the coast of Russia, Dr. Gustafsson reported: “This East Siberian slope methane hydrate system[Read More…]
“The worst case scenario is a new pandemic, starting all over again out of Denmark,” came the words of a grave Kåre Mølbak, director of the Danish health authorities, the State Serum Institute. According to the Institute, COVID-19 infections were registered on 216 mink farms on November 6. Not only had such infections been registered; new variants, five different clusters[Read More…]
At birth, all of us begin a journey that offers opportunities either to grow – not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually – or to stagnate. The journey we undertake lasts a lifetime, but there are dozens of moments each day when we have a choice to make tiny incremental gains in experience, wisdom and compassion or to calcify[Read More…]
What is character? Character indicates totality of feature of an individual’s personality, courage, commitment and outlooks from righteousness to humility. The material or physical representations or moral frameworks are not character. Class, gender, race, sexual orientations, religious practice and moral values do not represent character. Character is a commitment to one’s own self, to one’s own family, friends, society, state[Read More…]
Razak Kottakkal is identified with artistic photographs. Almost everyone ~ living or otherwise ~ connected with Malayalam literature insisted on accompanying their works with photographs taken by Razak. Writers grew old but they continued to use pictures taken in their youth. Their age was frozen by Razak forever. Razak’s black-and-white pictures of the greatest Malayalam writer (according to me), Vaikkom[Read More…]
The world’s best solar power schemes now offer the “cheapest…electricity in history” with the technology cheaper than coal and gas in most major countries. That is according to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2020. The 464-page outlook, published today by the IEA, also outlines the “extraordinarily turbulent” impact of coronavirus and the “highly uncertain” future of global energy use[Read More…]
Without doubt Jan Myrdal was one of the great revolutionary intellectuals of our time and his writings and works will make a permanent stamp on the democratic and Communist movement worldwide. Myrdal was a master at interacting and relating with the common people, thus giving a very accurate reflection. His style of writing was lucid Above all it could make[Read More…]
Following Partition of Indian subcontinent in 1947, communal flare up erupted like volcanic lava almost everywhere. Unlike that of other communal killings, Hyderabad Muslim massacre of 1948 & Jammu Muslim massacre of 1947 are least talked about human tragedies in India seemingly in “national interest”. Jammu Muslim massacre of Oct-Nov 1947 is distinguishable from other massacres that took place that[Read More…]
It was now the turn of other states to vent about, and at, the United States. The 2020 US presidential elections were coming down to a razor sharp wire. The Democrats were starting to feel confident in the swing states. Republicans and the Trump camp were mustering aggressive arguments on potential electoral fraud, lawyering up the heavies. The picture is[Read More…]
In the chaos of this moment, it seems likely that Joe Biden will just squeeze into the presidency and that he’ll certainly win the popular vote, Donald Trump’s Mussolini-like behavior and election night false claim of victory notwithstanding. Somehow, it all brings another moment in my life to mind. Back in October 2016, my friends and I frequently discussed the challenges progressives would face[Read More…]
Co-Written by James M. Dorsey and Alessandro Arduino Ethiopia, an African darling of the international community, is sliding towards civil war as the coronavirus pandemic hardens ethnic fault lines. The consequences of prolonged hostilities could echo across East Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Fighting between the government of Nobel Peace Prize winning Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Tigrayan[Read More…]
“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.”- ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment. Tukaram, alias, Annabhau Sathe is known to us as a Dalit Literati, mass awakener and Working class activist from Mumbai. It was he, who discovered Folk poetry as the[Read More…]
Today we are living in dark – the Age of Darkness. Under the present regime no one is able to predict what will happen tomorrow. Which draconian law will get “passed”, who next will be arrested under UAPA, what new “lies” will be told to the citizens, etc. etc. This is the rule of Hindutva homogeneity under the garb of[Read More…]
The U.S. has officially left the Paris climate agreement. However, the permanence of its departure hangs on the still-uncertain outcome of Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election. While President Donald Trump made the decision to withdraw the U.S. from the agreement, his rival former Vice President Joe Biden has promised to rejoin “on day one,” as NPR pointed out. Either way, the U.S. withdrawal has hurt trust in[Read More…]
The political turmoil in American presidential election reflects the limits of capitalist constitution and crisis of market democracy in United States of America. Both Mr Donald Trump and Mr Joe Biden represent different versions of American capitalism. The imperialist foreign policy and domestic security states are twin pillars of American governance system. These twin pillars are going to stay whoever[Read More…]
The gruesome beheading of a teacher in France has filled Muslim minority with fear of collective punishment. Communal reactionaries are spearheading hate against Muslims over Killings. The outpouring reactions of liberals and others have been on expected lines. More than 130 prominent Indians have also condemned killings. It has to an extent polarized Muslims and Majority religions across the world. Muslims[Read More…]
“Don’t hurt anyone’s feelings, always respect girls, be nice to everyone, treat others with respect, behave with others as if they are your brothers and sisters!” These were the things which our parents and teachers told us, when we first started going to school. Now we tell these things to our younger siblings, to treat everyone with good behavior. But[Read More…]
While the very pressing need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is very widely recognized at the scientific level, this can become an issue of mass mobilization only if this is also linked to justice based issues. When world level planning for reducing GHG emissions is linked to meeting the basic needs of all people, then this will be[Read More…]
Nation’s prime time ‘hyper entertainer’ was yesterday arrested by the Maharashtra Police for charges of ‘abetment of suicide’ of an architect and his mother who worked for the so-called ‘number one’ channel yet not got paid. Distressed, it was alleged, both mother son duo committed suicide. The police that time ‘investigated’ the matter and found no foul play and closed[Read More…]
The great bard remarks in Henry VI: Part II that all the lawyers ought to be killed. In entertaining this homicidal formula, William Shakespeare had yet to encounter that barnacle breed known as the pollster. There is much to suggest that those practising this dark and futile art ought to be done away with, with their special ability to suggest[Read More…]
Three Muslim candidates were re-elected to the House of Representatives in Tuesday’s election. Ilhan Omar won in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District and Rashida Tlaib won in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District. They are the first Muslim women elected to the Congress in 2018. In Indiana, Rep. Andre’ Carson (D) won his re-election bid for the 7th District. US Representative Ilhan Omar[Read More…]
There is no moral or ethical justification for the killing of innocent people, anywhere. Therefore, the murder of three people in the French city of Nice on October 29 must be wholly and unconditionally rejected as a hate crime, especially as it was carried out in a holy place, the Notre Dame Basilica. However, we would be remiss to ignore[Read More…]
As a revolutionary activist working with Venezuela’s popular movements and a sociologist who has extensively studied and theorised the rise of Chavismo as a political movement of the popular classes, Reinaldo Iturriza is well placed to provide an overview of the current state of play within the country’s Bolivarian Revolution. Iturriza also served as Minister for the Communes and Social[Read More…]
Co-Written by Surabhi Agarwal & Sandeep Pandey A compassionate human being, always popular among his friends and colleagues because of his friendly nature and human sensitivity, 33-year-old Mahesh Raut, champion of the democratic rights of the marginalised Adivasi people of Gadchiroli, Maharashtra has been in prison for over 2 years now. He was arrested in connection with the violence on[Read More…]
One in four cancer patient is a tobacco consumer in India. And if you honestly say that you have not seen any smoker suffer from cancer, as is likely, you may still be right because you have seen the other three. You may even agree with Mr. Shyam Charan Gupta, a beedi baron, one of the BJP MPs, and the[Read More…]
“Caste is another name for control. Caste puts a limit on enjoyment. Caste does not allow a person to transgress caste limits. In pursuit of his enjoyment. That is the meaning of such caste restrictions as inter-dining and intermarriage ….. Annihilation of Caste : The Annotated Critical Edition Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Caste violence and animosity are spreading deeper into[Read More…]
Co-Written by Badre Alam Khan & Tarique Anwar It is a historic moment for all of us that Jamia Millia Islamia, a ‘Lusty Child’ of the Non-cooperation, and the Khilafat movement based on secular and composite culture, has completed 100 years of its academic journey on 29th October 2020. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, this year, the university has not organized several programmes[Read More…]
President Donald Trump realized the fears of many political observers Tuesday night by falsely claiming a “big win” in the U.S. presidential election despite many millions of votes yet to be counted and no clear victor even remotely in sight. With the battle over crucial electoral college votes still potentially days or even weeks away—and just after Democratic nominee Joe[Read More…]
‘What lies ahead? Reimagining the world. Only that.’ With these above lines, Arundhati Roy ended her introduction and they reflect what Roy set out to do in the book ‘Azadi: Freedom. Fascism. Fiction’. In the nine essays in this book, most of which are previously published or given as lectures between 2018 and 2020, Roy explores the important events of[Read More…]
Every state makes decisions and enacts policies based on its interests and security perceptions. Some state decisions are more insidious than others in that the secondary effects can be devastating, especially by those states that can project sovereignty outside their own borders. Undoubtedly, Israel’s decision to create a relationship with Azerbaijan was a well-thought-out process. Not that Israel has any[Read More…]
Ritwik Ghatak was born in 1925 in Dhaka and died in 1976 in Calcutta. Almost his entire adult life was spent working for the stage or the screen in some capacity or the other. It is perhaps inevitable that success – as most of us understand it – should have refused to come to him, considering the kind of man[Read More…]
Allahabad High Court in its recent judgment opposed the conversion to get married to the person of another faith. The logic is that in the Special Marriages act, interfaith marriages are totally acceptable. One Muslim woman had converted to Hinduism to get married to a Hindu man. Talking in this aftermath the UP Chief Minister launched a tirade against Muslim[Read More…]
Our children and their children’s grandchildren have the right to hold us to a high standard of accountability when their future—and maybe their survival—is hanging in the balance. They too deserve something more than a generation of political leaders who look at the greatest challenge humankind has ever faced and then sit on their hands. – Human Development Report[Read More…]
Image via Wikipedia (Rome) Decades ago I, a young reporter, interviewed the legendary Ahmed Ben Bella (1916-2012), the man who ignited the Algerian War of Liberation against French colonial rule in 1954 and was chairman and animator of the FLN (Front de Liberation Nationale). In the interview Ben Bella repeatedly described himself as a revolutionary, not a theoretician, a man[Read More…]
Uttar Pradesh police arrested Faisal Khan in Delhi and brought him to Mathura on 2nd November 2020 but so far neither he has been presented in the court nor police-administration is willing to provide any information about him. 48 years old Faisal Khan has invested his entire life to strengthen communal harmony. With the intent to maintain and promote peace[Read More…]
Ahead of the polls opening on Tuesday, businesses in cities from Denver to Detroit to Washington, D.C., were boarding up their windows with plywood as they readied for the possibility of civil unrest. Some governors were readying the National Guard, said a report by The New York Times. The report said: “Everyone is starting to panic,” Fernando Casas, a construction[Read More…]
A founding member of Khudai Khidmatgar, Faisal Khan was arrested today (2nd Nov evening) from their communal harmony centre, ‘Sabka Ghar’ in Delhi and taken to Uttar Pradesh, by the UP police. Along with Faisal Khan, three other members of the organization, Chand Mohammed, Alok Ratan, and Nilesh Gupta have been charged u/s 153(A), 295 and 505 of the IPC[Read More…]
Terrorism has struck France again in the wake of the ongoing cartoons’ controversy. In a terrorist attack some years ago on the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo magazine following the publication of the controversial cartoons, several people were killed. And now, in a recent terrorist attack, yet more people have lost their lives. There can be no justification for committing acts[Read More…]
inssan abhee tak zinda hae, zinda hone per sharminda hae! Human beings are still alive; they are ashamed to be alive! [Shahid Nadeem’s Urdu couplet on silence of the civil society against communal violence. He received forty lashes for writing and singing these lines by Zia regime in Pakistan] [In more than last three decades, on every anniversary of the[Read More…]
The last three decades of conflict have seen decadence as political instability plagues the society in J&K. People are upfront against manifold problems. The conflict has had huge human costs. Life has lost its value and we are surviving mechanically. This low cost conflict has consumed our generations and still there is no hope of any resolution. Kashmir[Read More…]
The second phase of Bihar state elections is crucial. That apart, we have by polls in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and many other places. These bypolls too are crucial for the survival of the government in Madhya Pradesh after the swtich over of the Congress MLAs to BJP. Uttar Pradesh bypolls are also important as it will reflect the public[Read More…]
Co-Written by Mohammad al-Deirawi and Ramzy Baroud Mohammad Ibrahim Ali al-Deirawi was born on January 30, 1978 in Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. His family is originally from Bir Al-Saba’, an ethnically cleansed Palestinian town located in the southern Naqab desert. Mohammad was arrested by the Israeli army at a military checkpoint in central Gaza on March 1,[Read More…]
As these are increasing warnings of distinguished scientists against Genetically Modified (GM) crops, the strong GM lobby led by some of the biggest corporate interests (who are bent on dominating world food system using GM technology) is now using several tricks to find a way past these warnings based on growing scientific evidence against GM crops. Dr. Pushpa M.[Read More…]
Derby People are deeply alarmed at the news of a brutal gang rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in the district of Hatras in Uttar Pradesh. The alleged rape was carried out on 14 September 2020, by four upper-caste men who then left her for dead, with a cut to her tongue and injuries to her neck and[Read More…]
Members of the South Asian community came together to raise their voices for justice to the survivors of state sponsored violence against Sikhs in the first week of November, 1984. Organized by Indians Abroad for Pluralist India, the vigil was opened by Indigenous activist Jenifer Allen, at Holland Park in Surrey, on the evening of Sunday, November 1. She tried[Read More…]
The on-going presidential election process in the US has bared the mainstream politics’ face more manifestly than any other recent growth. The exposure is so stark that the mainstream discourse is admitting a few facts in its style, and this acknowledgement is unmistakable. Free and fair election is at risk Larry Diamond, author of Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian[Read More…]
A ghost goes through Europe: The ghost of communism This year it is 200 years since Friedrich Engels was born in the German town of Wuppertal in the Rhine district. I have visited the Wuppertal on that occasion and here are a few political reflections. Engels is one of the most significant personalities of the 19th Century, who has influenced[Read More…]
COVID-19 has caused unprecedented disruptions globally and inflicted the greatest pain on those who had already been rendered most vulnerable, spurring unknown hardship and growing unease among low-income families and micro-businesses. It has uncovered existing inequities and created new ones. A Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been strongly advocated by economists, industry captains and policy-makers across all ideological hues. It is[Read More…]
Good people of the 3rd World should not let themselves be taken in by worldwide satellite beamed CIA-fed media prattling on continuously about American democracy during ongoing presidential elections. Sadly, Americans are duped into participating in elections that back crimes against humanity ordered by the ruling genocidal Wall St. plutocracy which militarily and financially plunders 3rd World humanity. The[Read More…]
Mega-droughts, droughts that last two decades or longer, are tipped to increase, finds a new research. The finding came after an analysis of geological records from the Eemian Period – 129,000 to 116,000 years ago – which offered a proxy of what we could expect in a hotter, drier world. The research (Hamish McGowan, Micheline Campbell, John Nikolaus Callow, Andrew[Read More…]
It was summer almost half a century ago when I got into that Volkswagen van and began my trip across country with Peter, a photographer friend. I was officially doing so as a reporter for a small San Francisco news service, having been sent out to tap the mood of the nation in a politically fraught moment. The Vietnam War,[Read More…]
“Djab Wurrung women are in an abusive relationship with Victoria’s government.” Sissy Eileen Austin, The Guardian, Sep 14, 2019 It was a penultimate day in the Australian state of Victoria. The state government had announced that some of harshest coronavirus lockdown restrictions in the developed world would be easing. Melbourne’s restaurants, bars and cafes could resume inviting customers through their[Read More…]
The ordeal encountered by the migrant workers globally is very reflected due to the epidemic. According to the World Economic Forum, there is an estimated amount of 139 million migrants in the country. The International labour organisation has estimated that the pandemic will leave around 400 million people poverty-stricken. The mass exodus and reverse exodus has endangered the lives of[Read More…]
The BJP and the JD (U) are allies during the Bihar Assembly Elections 2020 and they are seeking the mandate of the people. However, their languages and strategies are often contradictory. While the BJP is playing the communal card and invoking Pakistan during the election rallies, the JD (U) is trying to woo Muslims. Even when they converge coming down[Read More…]
The Yogi government of Uttar Pradesh’s saffron party has decided to celebrate Valmiki-Jayanti (31 October) at the government level in each district to compensate for the political loss caused by the Hathras incident. The order issued by the state government’s chief secretary, RK Tiwari to the divisional commissioners and district officials, states that along with other programs at sites and[Read More…]
As events unfold in France centring around Islamophobia, there is a feeling of déjà vu. We have witnessed a few times before this sequence of events. There is some provocation or other targeting the Prophet Muhammad initiated by a non-Muslim group or institution. Predictably, Muslims react. In the midst of demonstrations and rallies, an act of violence occurs perpetrated by[Read More…]
The Bolivarian-socialist project in Venezuela is in a critical conjuncture. External imperialist aggressions – spearheaded by the US – are continuously growing in their magnitude. Importers of Venezuelan crude including India’s Reliance Industries Ltd, Spain’s Repsol SA and Italy’s Eni SpA have skipped oil purchases in October 2020. The three companies took a combined 9.7 million barrels in September 2020, accounting for[Read More…]
Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly (ANC) passed a controversial anti-blockade law on October 8. Elected in July 2017, the ANC was an initiative taken by President Nicolas Maduro to counter months of violent right-wing opposition protests. Its official mandate is to promote a national dialogue on reforms to the constitution as a way out of the country’s deep economic and political[Read More…]
When the state-power begins to fear the pen, tongue and lips, it resorts to undemocratic suppression of dissent National Investigation Agency (NIA) is again in the news for its actions! Like earlier times, this time also their targets have been individuals and organisations that are well-known as defenders of human rights. In the last few days, the NIA has[Read More…]
According to a report by UNICEF, India is home to the largest number of child brides in the world, accounting for more than one third of the global total of 650 million women and girls who were married as children. Of the country’s current total of 223 million child brides, 102 million were married before turning 15. Despite a legal[Read More…]
Moving from being an area of study that had received only minimal and sporadic academic attention prior to 2010, the study of AFL/AFL-CIO foreign policy and operations (hereafter, critical US labor foreign policy studies) has taken a qualitative leap in garnering academic attention over the past ten years: this foreign policy program is increasingly being seen as an important component[Read More…]
French President Macron – What He Said and What He Meant? Politics is a game of pretension, saying something and meaning something else. President Emmanuel Macron appears to be no exception in a hybrid political culture of uncanny coincidence to blame Islam for the criminal acts of one individual. The reactionary beheading of a French school teacher has nothing to[Read More…]
Jamia Millia Islamia turns 100 this year, Students, Alumni, Professors, Teaching and Non-Teaching staff together rejoice for the glorious 100 years of this university. The story of its growth from a small institution in pre-independence India to a central university located in New Delhi—offering integrated education from nursery to research in specialized areas—is a saga of dedication, conviction, and[Read More…]
If the path of planned economic development based on five-year plans had not been arbitrarily given up in August 2014 by the newly elected Modi regime , today India would be in the middle of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2017-22), the mid-term evaluation report of the 13th Plan would have just arrived and preparations would be in full swing for[Read More…]
Appeal to withdraw the notification for the public hearing for the proposed Sijimali Bauxite Mining Project 
“Making a thriller from grain” 
Key Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) Likely To Collapse In 2025-2095 
Global Biofuel Alliance at G20: Land vs Water vs Food Security- Has the government addressed the trade-offs? 
The Nijjar Murder and Indian Government’s alleged “involvement”: Reactions and Reflections 
France Will Pull Out Its Diplomats And Military From Niger, Says Macron 
Imperial Footprints in Africa: The Dismal Role of AFRICOM 
Hunger in Africa has its roots in a History of Colonialism and Neo-colonialism 
The Climate March: Magnificent and Misdirected 
Imagining a Progressive Pentagon 
“Lost Voices of Fentanyl” Rally at the White House 
Indian Government Must First Evict Dalai Lama & his Followers before Admonishing Canada for Separatist Activities 
Peasant-rebels: lineages of insurgency 
Mission to Free Assange: Australian Parliamentarians in Washington 
Bayer-ICAR Collaboration Raises Serious Concerns Regarding Indian Farm Policy 
Place of Minorities as Allotted by Savarkar, Golwalkar and Upadhyaya 
What is in the name? Attempt to stop the usage of ‘India’ by the Government 
Poona Pact: A Reappraisal 
Hate Speech Inside Parliament: Reaching a New Low 
Criminal Justice And Freedom of Speech 
75,000 Climate Protesters Marched In New York With Demand To End Fossil Fuels 
On the Dark Side of the Moon.. 
Avoiding the War on Terror would have saved over 10 million lives at home and abroad 
The Angertainer Steps Down: Rupert Murdoch’s Non-Retirement 
Climate Emergency Update, September 2023 
My appeal to Meta’s Oversight Board: Palestinian political and resistance organizations & individuals are not “terrorists” as classified by Israel 
Artificial Intelligence: Profit Versus Freedom 
How Can We Understand the Passage of Time? 
Pre- and Post-Soviet Language Policy in the East-Baltic States 
Breadcrumb 
Three Indian Movies win TIFF 2023 Awards 
Ukrainian president holds crisis talks in Washington amid failure of “spring offensive” 
Zelensky Faces Difficult Time In Washington D.C. 
Stumbling Towards Old Age And Looking for Someone to Lean On 
Tolstoy’s Dilemma 
Ukraine Peace Activists Protest During Zelensky White House Visit 
“Our world is becoming unhinged”: Antonio Guterres 
How Chances of Direct War between the USA and Russia Are Increasing G20 Biofuel Alliance threatens Food security 
Thousands Of Auto Workers Strike In Three U.S. Plants, Face Financial Hardship 
My Amma (Malayalam word for Mother) passed away on August 22, 2023 at 3.10 AM. It is always difficult to deal with the passing of a parent, that too one’s mother. I thought the grief would go away. No it didn’t. All those bitter sweet memories won’t go away. At night I lie awake for hours. My friend, guide and[Read More…]
