Boris Johnson: any democracy should look to his case and ask if it is enabling machiavellian leaders

Blaming the failings of an entire political culture on the moral deficiencies of one leader might make us feel righteous, but most of us know that the rot goes rather deeper than one flamboyant character. The fall of Johnson could be taken as a historical juncture to be built upon and not just in the UK.… Read More Boris Johnson: any democracy should look to his case and ask if it is enabling machiavellian leaders

Dilip

Prashant Bhushan: Another ‘Arresting’ Judgment in Favour of BJP and Narendra Modi

The arrest of human rights activist Teesta Setalvad and R.B. Sreekumar, the former additional director general police, by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad on the basis of a first information report (FIR) that copiously draws on the Supreme Court judgment in the Zakia Ehsan Jafri case is patently malafide. The arrest came close on the heels… Read More Prashant Bhushan: Another ‘Arresting’ Judgment in Favour of BJP and Narendra Modi

Dilip

‘Fonio just grows naturally’: could ancient indigenous crops ensure food security for Africa?

Only breaking at midday to refuel on peanuts and palm wine, the village works methodically as a unit to grow fonio – a precious grain crucial to their diets that only takes days to germinate and can be harvested in as little as six weeks. Though laborious, growing fonio, one of Africa’s oldest cultivated grains,… Read More ‘Fonio just grows naturally’: could ancient indigenous crops ensure food security for Africa?

Dilip

Sanskrit translation of Don Quixote rescued from oblivion

There is an adjective that all too invitingly describes the wildly optimistic endeavours of the American book collector, the Hungarian-British explorer and the two Kashmiri pandits who, almost a century ago, took it upon themselves to translate Don Quixote into Sanskrit for the first time. Today, the same word might equally be applied to the… Read More Sanskrit translation of Don Quixote rescued from oblivion

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George Monbiot on Democracy vs plutocracy: Endgame for our planet / Tom Engelhardt: Life in This Literal Hell

When I began work as an environmental journalist in 1985, I knew I would struggle against people with a financial interest in destructive practices. But I never imagined that we would one day confront what appears to be an ideological commitment to destroying life on Earth. The UK government and the US supreme court look… Read More George Monbiot on Democracy vs plutocracy: Endgame for our planet / Tom Engelhardt: Life in This Literal Hell

Dilip

Turkey should face international court over Yazidi genocide, report says

Turkey should face charges in front of the international court of justice for being complicit in acts of genocide against the Yazidi people, while Syria and Iraq failed in their duty to prevent the killings, an investigation endorsed by British human rights lawyer Helena Kennedy has said. The groundbreaking report, compiled by a group of prominent… Read More Turkey should face international court over Yazidi genocide, report says

Dilip

England's greased piglet runs out of grease

Sajid Javid, the health secretary, followed shortly by Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, posted their letters of resignation on Twitter, criticising the competence of the government. Neither explicitly mentioned the sexual misconduct and Partygate scandals that have dogged the government for months. Sunak in particular claimed the prompt for his resignation was his differing approach on the… Read More England's greased piglet runs out of grease

Dilip

Karnataka High Court judge threatened for questioning the functioning of Anti Corruption Bureau

Justice H.P. Sandesh, judge of the High Court of Karnataka, on Monday orally disclosed in the court hall that there was a “threat” to him after he raised questions about the functioning of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The judge revealed this during the hearing of a petition filed by Mahesh P.S, deputy tahsildar, who is an… Read More Karnataka High Court judge threatened for questioning the functioning of Anti Corruption Bureau

Dilip

Redefining the American Working Class. Shamira Ibrahim

There’s no dispute that general working-class support for Democrats has fluctuated from election cycle to election cycle. The one constant, though, is that “working-class” is almost always used in the media to suggest white, male workers. The representative Reagan Democrat was, literally, a white autoworker in Michigan. Even when the white prefix is used to… Read More Redefining the American Working Class. Shamira Ibrahim

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