Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to shun single-use plastic in his Independence Day address, reiterated at the 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (September 9, 2019), could fail to tackle the scale of the plastic menace unless scientists and entrepreneurs join the fight. Previously, … Read More
Indian women generally have an optimistic attitude towards life, are ready to face its myriad challenges, but need sustained support from their natal and marital homes to achieve their full potential. The principal challenges they face include overwhelming family responsibilities that can curtail their school education; acquiring skills for employment … Read More
In Tripura, the Molsom tribe celebrates Sangkrak puja during Magh (January-February). Sangkrak is their Kula Devata (clan deity) and goats, chicken, pigs, (sometimes buffaloes) are sacrificed by the priest. At least 14 animals are sacrificed as Chaudha Devata (14 gods) puja is part of the ritual. More animals are offered … Read More
Gulalai Ismail, activist for women’s empowerment and Pashtun human rights, escaped to the United States in September, after four months in hiding, after denouncing the Pakistan Army’s alleged involvement in sexual violence and disappearances. Expressing anxiety for her parents left behind, she said, “I do not see a prosperous Pakistan … Read More
Seventeen scientists who consistently advocated Genetically Modified crops in India are anxious to revive GMs despite the Centre’s growing emphasis on organic farming and native cattle breeds, to boost nutritional standards nationwide. The Pradhan Mantri Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and Rashtriya Gokul Mission are gaining popularity among farmers. Alarmed at … Read More
On August 1, 2019, tonnes of melting water formed on an ice sheet in western Greenland and drained into a moulin – a hole within a glacier /ice sheet from which water from the surface enters the ocean or is contained within a crevasse. July’s heat wave in Europe … Read More
A fortnight after the Modi Government defanged Article 370, scrapped its illegal appendage, Article 35A, and split the northern State into the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad is groping for a coherent response. In May 1998, when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee stunned the world by … Read More
Former Mumbai police commissioner and director general of police, Gujarat and Punjab, Julio Ribeiro, recently expressed unhappiness with the Bharatiya Janata Party for inducing 10 Congress MLAs to its side in Goa, deviating from its political philosophy and ethics. Recalling his friendship with Ms. Laxmi Kanta Chawla and Hit Abhilashi … Read More
Faced with the near unanimous verdict of the International Court of Justice (15:1) on the imprisonment of India’s former naval officer, Islamabad buckled on July 19, 2019 and informed Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav of his rights under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963, and promised consular access. … Read More
In Rottenseed! Cottonseed, Alzheimer’s and Your Brain, nutritionist Bruce Semon traces the rise of Alzheimer’s to a toxin in cottonseed, that goes to the brain and randomly ties up important structures there. Cottonseed, a byproduct of cotton farming, contains poisons but is routinely fed to farm animals, poultry and fish, … Read More
