REBECCA GORDON Of course, the all-American penchant for banning books didn’t begin in the Trump era. Just ask almost anyone who lived through the Red Scare days of the 1950s (not to speak of the first Red Scare of 1917-1920). But the last few years have seen a remarkable acceleration of attempts to keep certain… Read More American Public Libraries under Threat: Banning what Matters
GAZA casualties live statistics THE CONVERSATION The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected a ceasefire plan put forward by Hamas, calling the terms “delusional”. Claiming that an Israeli victory in Gaza is “within reach”, Netanyahu has vowed to fight on until Hamas is completely destroyed. But the US, which is involved in negotiation efforts along with… Read More Netanyahu’s position becoming uncertain as he rejects Hamas deal to end war
The uncle of Mahsa Amini, the young Iranian-Kurdish woman whose death in custody sparked months of protests, has been sentenced to more than five years in jail for his criticism of the government in 2022, rights groups have said. Safa Aeli, 30, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison by the revolutionary court… Read More Mahsa Amini’s uncle sentenced to five years in jail over Iran protests, rights groups say
Incidentally, there is no IPC section which criminalises ‘insults’ against individuals, regardless of what position they hold or have held. ‘Insulted’ individuals have the right to file a defamation case if they wish but third parties or the police cannot do so. Pune police have filed an FIR (first information report) against journalist Nikhil Wagle… Read More Bharat Ratna to Advani, Free Speech Ban for Critics as Police File FIR Against Journalist Nikhil Wagle
The electoral bond scheme came under the scanner soon after it was launched for being opaque and possibly routing unaccounted money to political parties. Elisha Vermani Electoral bonds worth more than Rs 570 crores have been sold in the latest phase of the electoral bond sale that lasted from January 2 to January 11, 2024,… Read More Rs 570 Crore of Electoral Bonds Sold in January Alone, 94% in 1 Crore Denomination
In this weird India, bizarre scenes are witnessed daily. Words of wisdom come from a villager in Haryana. He says what a scholar could have said: “Modi ji, Hinduism continued to survive centuries of foreign rule because religion was not associated with the ruler. If it were associated with a Prime Minister or President or King,… Read More Modi’s Strange India of Celebrations and Superstition
Philippe Lazzarini says summary dismissal of nine employees was ‘reverse due process’ after Israel’s claims they aided Hamas attack Emine Sinmaz in Jerusalem The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has said he followed “reverse due process” in sacking nine staff members accused by Israel of being involved in Hamas’s 7 October attacks. Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s… Read More UNRWA staff accused by Israel sacked without evidence, chief admits
Oliver Milman Humanity has made some uneven progress in reducing our addiction to fossil fuels – but there remain three areas of our lives in which we are notably not on track to kick the habit over the next 30 years, according to a new analysis. Record levels of investment in clean energy (solar has… Read More The world is reducing its reliance on fossil fuels – except for in three key sectors
Philippe Buc, Holy War, Martyrdom, and Terror: Christianity, Violence, and the West; 2015 Reviewed by Warren Brown “The medievalist Philippe Buc discerns Christian tropes of holy war and martyrdom in seemingly secular movements with terroristic potential. A brilliant and disturbing interpretation of the religious origins of redemptive violence in the West, this is a book… Read More Christianity, Violence, and the West
‘The new criminal justice laws mark an important moment in how independent India will function. It may herald a descent towards greater authoritarian tendencies and a nullifying of the judicial role by reducing personal liberty to a plaything.’ ABHINAV SEKHRI In 2019, soon after securing a resounding electoral majority, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government… Read More From Codes to Sanhitas: Power, Myths, and Problematic Continuities
After the truth-shower 