Author: Dilip

I'm a scholar, writer and teacher; and my blog is designed for intellectual exploration. It carries no advertisements and requires no cash subscription

France has underestimated impact of nuclear tests in French Polynesia, research finds

France has consistently underestimated the devastating impact of its nuclear tests in French Polynesia in the 1960s and 70s, according to groundbreaking new research that could allow more than 100,000 people to claim compensation. France conducted 193 nuclear tests from 1966 to 1996 at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls in French Polynesia, including 41 atmospheric tests until 1974… Read More France has underestimated impact of nuclear tests in French Polynesia, research finds

Dilip

Bharat Bhushan: Nervous government explores ways to 'manage' media

The leaking of the alleged Report of Group of Ministers (GoM) on Government Communications is an exceptional event for a government that prides itself in being successfully opaque. Reminiscent of McCarthyism, the report suggests “neutralising” journalists who write against the government and spread “false narratives”. An incredible proposal from an establishment journalist suggests that journalists… Read More Bharat Bhushan: Nervous government explores ways to 'manage' media

Dilip

Sabah Maharaj, Snehashish Das on Sharjeel Imam: Cultivating Morality In A Broken Democracy

Sharjeel Imam, speaking from the grim trench-lines of the anti-CAA protests, was widely seen to have crossed a line in the sand. But what line? The only answers forthcoming were in the shape of the UAPA and sedition laws. The incident proved to be a pivotal moment for India for two contrary reasons. It was… Read More Sabah Maharaj, Snehashish Das on Sharjeel Imam: Cultivating Morality In A Broken Democracy

Dilip

George Orwell Reviews Mein Kampf: “He Envisages a Horrible Brainless Empire” (1940)

Published in New English Weekly, 21 March 1940 It is a sign of the speed at which events are moving that Hurst and Blackett’s unexpurgated edition of Mein Kampf, published only a year ago, is edited from a pro-Hitler angle. The obvious intention of the translator’s preface and notes is to tone down the book’s ferocity and… Read More George Orwell Reviews Mein Kampf: “He Envisages a Horrible Brainless Empire” (1940)

Dilip

Dan Sabbagh: UK authorised £1.4bn of arms sales to Saudi Arabia after exports resumed

British officials authorised the export of almost £1.4bn of weapons to Saudi Arabia in the quarter after the UK resumed sales of weapons that could be used in the war in Yemen. Campaigners accused ministers of “putting profit before Yemeni lives” and said the figures highlighted the discrepancy between the UK and the US, which under President… Read More Dan Sabbagh: UK authorised £1.4bn of arms sales to Saudi Arabia after exports resumed

Dilip

Christopher Caldwell: Is This the End of French Intellectual Life?

 At the end of last summer, Le Débat, France’s most prestigious intellectual review, accompanied its 40th-anniversary issue with a wholly unexpected announcement: It would cease publication forthwith. Le Débat and its three or four thousand loyal readers had maintained an allegiance to the political left since the Cold War — but the meaning of “left”… Read More Christopher Caldwell: Is This the End of French Intellectual Life?

Dilip

Why Bitcoin is so bad for the planet – video explainer

In a year, bitcoin uses around the same about of electricity as the entire country of Norway. The digital currency is one that allows people to bypass banks and traditional payment methods. It is the most prominent among thousands of so-called cryptocurrencies and has been repeatedly reaching new records – but is it sustainable? The Guardian’s UK… Read More Why Bitcoin is so bad for the planet – video explainer

Dilip

Vrinda Grover: CJI Bobde's 'marry the victim' remark to rape accused trivialises sexual violence, denudes survivor of rights and personhood

I am deeply troubled and angry, though not shocked. Any person believing in equality and dignity of women, the right of a girl and woman over her own body, sexual autonomy and right to self-determination over their own lives and futures, will be enraged. Basically, anyone who considers women as human beings will oppose and… Read More Vrinda Grover: CJI Bobde's 'marry the victim' remark to rape accused trivialises sexual violence, denudes survivor of rights and personhood

Dilip