THE Modi government should hang its head in shame – if it has any sense of shame left. Unfolding before the eyes of the world is the horrific and unbearable spectacle of mass starvation in Gaza, of babies and children wasting away due to malnutrition and hunger, and at the doors of death.The 21-month Israeli war on Gaza has now transformed into genocide by starvation. Yet, the BJP rulers are unmoved. There has been not a single statement of protest or condemnation of Israel’s tactics of starving an entire population.

THE life of Comrade V S Achuthanandan, who passed away at the age of 101 on July 21, 2025 is a remarkable chapter in the history of Kerala in general and in the context of the state’s revolutionary movement in particular.Comrade VS, as he was called, was a symbol of an enduring tradition of struggle, extraordinary resilience, and unwavering commitment to justice. His century-long life, marked by tireless working for the people and unwavering support in their hour of need, is closely interwoven with the modern history of Kerala.

A RECENT paper in Science addresses an intriguing question: Did North America have settled agriculture before the arrival of Europeans? Or were the people in North America still in the hunter-gatherer stage, unlike Mesoamericans, who had advanced civilisations, such as the Mayans, Aztecs, and the Incas? The answer is that it did have significant agriculture, which "disappeared" only after their encounters with the invading Europeans settling in their lands.

The 17th BRICS Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro on July 6-7, the first summit with the expanded membership of eleven countries. Soon after, US President Trump threatened to impose 10 per cent tariffs on those countries that align with BRICS. Earlier too, Trump had threatened 100 per cent tariffs on BRICS countries saying that they wish to destroy the supremacy of the US dollar and weaken America. Why is Trump so threatened and provoked by BRICS?BRICS originally comprised of five countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

AFTER much delay and uncertainty, the Registrar General of India has finally issued a notification to conduct the national population census in 2027. A major shift in this upcoming census is the decision to include caste enumeration – something long resisted by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).