CATEGORIES

PLAYING VICTIM

The sum total of U.S. President Donald Trump’s feverish defence against the impeachment inquiry is that the elites and the socialists are out to get him. It is also a part of his manifesto for re-election, which the House Democrats inexplicably seem to be aiding by supporting his military spending, and trade and social policies.

Reign of terror

The pro-majoritarian bias in the police action across Uttar Pradesh indicates an agenda to fan tension rather than diffuse it.

PEOPLE'S MARCH

Protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens have snowballed into a mass movement across India. Significantly, students are spearheading it in many places.

TREE OF LIFE

The baobab is revered in Africa and Madagascar as a sacred and mystical tree. Baobabs can live for more than a thousand years and are perhaps among the oldest living things on the planet.

North-eastern quagmire

The CAA has added to the complexities of settling the question of who is an “illegal migrant” in the north-eastern region. Defining who is indigenous in each State there is expected to be a new political puzzle.

Brutal country for women

The recent incidents of rape and murder in Hyderabad and Unnao highlight the alarming rise in violent crimes against women in a country that celebrates hyper-masculine nationalism and vows to protect the honour of Mother India.

Partition's unfinished business in Assam

The CAB is a major move to introduce into Indian citizenship laws a distinction between Hindu and Muslim immigrants. In the immediate context it translates into a selective faith-based amnesty for a large segment of people not included in the NRC in Assam.

Nowhere people

Two communities of Sri Lankan Tamils have been left out of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill though they qualify on every count.

Indefensible law

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill fails the constitutional test of satisfying equality before the law or equal protection under the laws within the territory of India.

Fiery Reaction

The anti-CAB protest turns into a mass resistance,reviving the antiforeigner agitation in Assam.

Bengal's concerns

The CAB and the NRC have emerged as the two issues that will decide the political destiny of West Bengal.

Back-room politics

Unmindful of the opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill both inside and outside Parliament and despite the fact that the numbers should have been against it in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP-led government manages to get this controversial piece of legislation passed.

Sharad Pawar Outwits The BJP

Sharad Pawar, the master strategist, outwits the BJP, which has been reduced to watching the game from the sidelines in Maharashtra.

The BJP Loses The Power Game In Maharashtra

The BJP loses the power game in Maharashtra in the face of rare opposition unity and critical judicial intervention.

Trial And Error

The impeachment trial against President Donald Trump over Ukrainegate may end up hurting the Democratic Party because the Republi can controlled Senate, which has the final say in the proceedings, may well come to Trump’s rescue and hand him the advantage in the 2020 presidential election.

The Missing Spirit

The facts of the Maharashtra developments bring out starkly the distinction between compliance with the letter of the Constitution and the spirit of it.

Back In The Game

With Gotabaya Rajapaksa winning the presidential election in Sri Lanka and his brothers Mahinda and Chamal Rajapaksa holding important positions, the country is expected to continue its pro-Chinese foreign policy. And civil society in Sri Lanka, including Tamils, is looking at a period of curtailed freedoms.

Assange Languishes In Jail

The WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, in need of urgent medical attention, continues to be in prison despite the dropping of all charges against him.

A New Platform

Social media aficionados unhappy with platforms such as Twitter for various reasons now have a new option, Mastodon.

Feeding Lessons

Optimal feeding of infants is fundamental to tackling the burden of malnutrition.

Diets Sans Diversity

Ensuring a diverse diet for all and not fortification of staples with chemicals should be the public policy objective to ensure that children do not go malnourished.

Resetting Relations

The informalmeeting between PrimeMinister NarendraModi and Chinese President Xi Jinping inMamallapuram presents an occasion to understand the two countries’ concerns and to address important issues relating to trade and investment.

Deprived Childhoods

The first ever Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey exposes the shocking state of Indian children’s nutritional status, but this is apparently not an issue of major concern for the government or the opposition.

The Spectre Of IMF

After protests break out across the country, President Lenin Moreno withdraws the decree announcing the removal of fuel subsidies that was a part of the IMF-imposed austerity programme.

Deals & Misgivings

The Dhaka-Delhi bonhomie seems to be on a roll, with seven agreements signed during Sheikh Hasina’s visit, but Bangladesh’s ruling party is facing criticism at home over the government’s close ties with India.

Civil Liberties In Peril

Numerous developments since the return of the Modi-led government illustrate the steady erosion of civil liberties and the unfettered march of the Sangh Parivar against the spirit of the Constitution.

New Window Into Old Times

Excavations at Keeladi have the potential to throw light on the civilisational antiquity of the ancient Tamil country and its people.

Heritage Hampi: Splendour Of Ruins

Hampi, with its temple complexes, palaces and fortresses, epitomised the rich historical, architectural-cultural and cosmopolitan legacy of the Vijayanagara Empire, which flourished on the banks of the Tungabhadra for more than 200 years from the mid 14th century. It is second on The New York Times list of 52 places to visit in 2019.

Haryana: Advantage BJP

A weakened INLD and the continued impact of demonetisation might have given an edge to the Congress in Haryana, but factionalism within the party has shifted the advantage to the ruling BJP.

Police On Policing

Based on interviews with 12,000 personnel and their families across 22 States, the Status of Policing in India Report 2019 covers a gamut of issues such as their own working conditions, their attitudes to people and police violence.