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).

EVERY Indian has the freedom to live according to their religious beliefs. This is the foundation of the value of secularism enshrined in our Constitution. Simultaneously, it also means that religion should not interfere in governance. Yet, those who have taken the solemn oath of upholding the Constitution, are violating both of these principles. They are slowly and gradually implementing a project to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra. It is a plan that has been in the making for decades.

RECENT calls by the RSS leadership to remove the words socialism and secularism from the Preamble of the Indian Constitution are not just an attack on semantics – they represent a direct assault on the foundational vision of the Indian republic itself. The Constitution embodies the ideals and aspirations of India’s glorious anti-colonial freedom struggle. It reflects the values championed by the various movements that united to secure our independence.