What happens to accidental heroes when the headlines fade? ‘You get your award and then there’s nothing’

After traumatic events we look for reminders of humanity’s good, and flashes of courage from ordinary people become symbols of hope. But it can be hard to wear the hero’s crown Aston Brown The smell of burning flesh and pulverised concrete is seared into the psyche of Anneke Weemaes-Sutcliffe. On 22 March 2016, the Australian… Read More What happens to accidental heroes when the headlines fade? ‘You get your award and then there’s nothing’

Dilip

Moment of reckoning

Lessons from the first year of Donald Trump’s second term The West’s complicity in Israel’s genocidal razing of Gaza and the impunity with which an allegedly isolationist Trump abducted Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela, expropriated its oil, bombed Iran, and threatened to annex Greenland and Canada has, it’s fair to say, made international law a disreputable… Read More Moment of reckoning

Dilip

Congo: A Tragedy in Many Parts Over Many Decades

Since independence, the Republic of Congo has been suffering from ethnic strife, armed rebellions and military interventions by neighbouring countries. The presence of valuable minerals has added fuel to the strife which has taken millions of lives. Can peace ever come to this troubled nation? D.J. Ravindran The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), formerly… Read More Congo: A Tragedy in Many Parts Over Many Decades

Dilip

Tar Wars

Behind today’s headlines is a history of imperial outrage—including a Philadelphia contract man who wreaked havoc in early 20th century Venezuela and helped oust a president. Greg Grandin Before Nicolás Maduro and Hugo Chávez, there was Cipriano Castro. Before Donald Trump, there was Theodore Roosevelt. And before petroleum, there was asphalt pitch. The following excerpt… Read More Tar Wars

Dilip

Neither turban nor crown, but Woman, Life, Freedom

Anti-regime pictures Hundreds of gunshot eye injuries found in one Iranian hospital amid brutal crackdown on protests Maryam Namazie A new nationwide wave of protest has spread across Iran since 28 December 2025. Initially triggered by acute economic collapse (currency freefall, sharp price rises for basic necessities, and renewed scarcity), it has rapidly become a… Read More Neither turban nor crown, but Woman, Life, Freedom

Dilip

With thousands dead, the Iranian regime may survive these protests – but not in its current form

NB: The Iranian theocracy is a brutal tyranny; and all those who stood up for the Palestinian people should support the long struggle of the people of Iran for democracy and freedom. Left wing acrtivists may recall that this regime has been punishing and executing leftists for decades. DS With fear, surveillance and brute force… Read More With thousands dead, the Iranian regime may survive these protests – but not in its current form

Dilip

Homeland Empire

From Venezuela to Minnesota, Trump is trying to create a borderless American power, collapsing the foreign and the domestic into a single domain of impunity… The good news is that the US is a large, diverse, energetic country, filled with people who do not like to be bullied and coerced, who still possess significant degrees… Read More Homeland Empire

Dilip

Pro-Palestinian activists are carrying out one of the UK’s longest ever hunger strikes

London, UK —  Heba Muraisi knows exactly what is happening to her body.“My organs are slowly but surely shutting down,” she said late Monday via phone call from HMP New Hall, a prison in northern England. The 31-year-old Londoner and pro-Palestinian activist is refusing food as part of a coordinated hunger strike – the longest the… Read More Pro-Palestinian activists are carrying out one of the UK’s longest ever hunger strikes

Dilip

State Massacre of Protesters is Underway in Iran Amid Internet Blackout

Center for Human Rights in Iran January 9, 2026—The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) expresses grave and urgent concern for the protesters in Iran, who are under deadly fire from Islamic Republic security forces amid a nationwide internet blackout. CHRI has received credible first-hand reports of hospitals packed with injured protesters in areas… Read More State Massacre of Protesters is Underway in Iran Amid Internet Blackout

Dilip