For the philosopher of “hyperobjects”- vast, unknowable things that are bigger than ourselves – the coronavirus is further proof that we live in a dark ecology. In 2013, a philosopher and ecologist named Timothy Morton proposed that humanity had entered a new phase. What had changed was our relationship to the nonhuman. For the first… Read More Book review: Timothy Morton’s Hyper-Pandemic
The ‘Pension subject to future good conduct’ rule must be challenged in the courts and in the interim disregarded with contempt. On 31 May, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, issued a gazette notification amending Rule 8 – Pension subject to future good conduct – of the… Read More LT GEN H S PANAG (RETD): Opposition weakened, Modi govt now fears domain expertise of retired security officers
The film, 1978, has been nominated for two awards at the Palm Springs Film Festival 2021, a qualifier for the Oscars, and is about a Christian-Goan rockstar who must decide if he can change with the times, as Pakistan transforms under a revolutionary fervour. It has been nominated for the Best of the Festival Award and Best… Read More Hamza Bangash's 1978 transports you to a time when Karachi truly was the city of lights
Chen Tianshi has kept a secret for the past 32 years. The former student activist was a key organiser of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 and was arrested in the aftermath of the massacre. Out of the bloody crackdown, unlikely friendships formed between some protesters and their captors. Today, on the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen… Read More Joyce Cheng: Tiananmen Square protesters remember the bonds they formed with the Chinese police who held them captive
Mr Swaminathan died suddenly, as he was walking back to his flat from the Veg dining hall after dinner. He was ahead of me on the path, and I saw him slow down. His gait changed from a fast stride to a slower, hunched walk. His left arm went limp. He lost his footing and… Read More Sindya Bhanoo: Malliga Homes
The way we produce food has accelerated climate change, but can sustainable production methods help to reverse it? Follow the Food is an eight-part documentary series that questions where our food comes from and how this will change in the near future, thanks to new technologies and innovative ways of farming… Watch docuseries here
A microscopic multi-celled organism has returned to life after being frozen for 24,000 years in Siberia, according to new research. Scientists dug up the animal known as a bdelloid rotifer from the Alayeza River in the Russian Arctic. Once thawed, it was able to reproduce asexually, after spending millennia in a state of frozen animation… Read More Bdelloid rotifer survives 24,000 years frozen in Siberia
According to the IEA, just one country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), currently supplies more than 80% of the world’s cobalt, and another — China — 70% of its rare-earth elements. Similarly, lithium production is largely in two countries, Argentina and Chile, which jointly account for nearly 80% of world supply, while four… Read More MICHAEL KLARE: Lithium, Cobalt, and Rare Earths
Amannisa Abdullah and her husband, Ahmad Talip, were on their way to shop for baby clothes in Dubai, when the message that changed both their lives came through. Ahmad read it and announced an abrupt change of plan: He had to report to a police station immediately. Ahmad dropped Amannisa off at a friend’s house that day in… Read More Uyghurs are being deported from Muslim countries, raising concerns about China's growing reach
My friend then said to me abashedly, “I sometimes think it’s lucky I won’t be here to see what’s going to happen to the world.” And even as she began stumbling all over herself apologizing for saying such a thing, I understood exactly what she meant. I had had the very same thought and sense… Read More TOM ENGELHARDT: A World at the Edge
After the truth-shower 