Learning from Ancient DNA: What Plagues History?

FOR centuries, the story of the Plague of Justinian, history's first recorded plague pandemic, was woven solely from ancient texts describing a mysterious and devastating sickness that helped weaken an empire. Now, as reported in the journal "Genes" in the article Genetic Evidence of Yersinia pestis from the First Pandemic – a global team of researchers from USA, Australia and India used stringent ancient DNA protocols to extract highly degraded ancient DNA in dental pulp and human teeth.

AP: Socialism is the Future

CPI(M) Politburo member BV Raghavulu has said that respect and admiration for socialism is steadily increasing in society, and that the future of the country lies with socialism. He was addressing a seminar organised by the CPI(M) West Godavari district committee on August 8, in Bhimavaram, which was presided over by the Party’s district secretary JVN Gopalan.Raghavulu explained that many of the country’s problems stem from caste and economic inequalities, and that without these divisions, nearly half of India’s problems would not exist.

AIKS Demands Relief Package for Flood-Hit States

THE All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), in a statement issued on September 3, has noted the grim flood situation in the agrarian states of Punjab and Haryana due to excessive rainfall in the month of August. Due to heavy downpour in the upper catchment areas of Himachal Pradesh (HP) and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), along with surplus water released from several dams, the Beas and Sutlej rivers are overwhelmed and the resulting deluge has caused extensive damages to the standing crops in the two agrarian states.

Maha: Sugarcane Farmers' First State Convention

THE AIKS Maharashtra state council organised its first Sugarcane Farmers' State Convention at Kolhapur in the midst of the sugar belt of the state on August 21, 2025. Despite torrential rains and floods, over 450 farmers from various districts attended the convention held at the renowned Chhatrapati Shahu Smarak Hall.

Time India Stopped Being America’s Subordinate Ally

ONE should ironically thank Donald Trump for compelling the Modi government to undertake a long overdue course correction in India’s foreign policy. For nearly three decades – beginning with the Vajpayee government, to the Manmohan Singh government and then with accelerating speed during the Modi government – India was set on a course of becoming a subordinate ally of the United States.

Climate Disaster Relief Fund: Need of the Hour

INDIA experienced extreme weather events on 322 out of the 366 days in 2024, surpassing the 318 days in 2023 and 314 days in 2022. Nearly 88 per cent of the previous year saw extreme weather in one or more parts of the country, up from 87 per cent in 2023 and 86 per cent in 2022. These extreme weather events have resulted in severe human and economic losses, with 3,472 fatalities in 2024, up from 3,287 in 2023 and 3,026 in 2022 – an increase of 15 per cent in three years.

The Chimera of a Stabilised Capitalism

THE vision of a capitalism that is “stabilised” through a rectification of its “excesses”, and hence pre-empts any social challenge to its existence, has always endured in one form or another among economists. This vision is in sharp contrast to the Marxist perception which holds that the only way that the so-called “excesses” of capitalism can be got rid of, is through a transcendence of capitalism itself.

Savarkar – Myth and Reality

ON Independence Day this year, a social media post by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas caused outrage and revulsion across the country. Under the title ‘Happy Independence Day’ it depicted four faces – V D Savarkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Shaheed Bhagat Singh. At the bottom was the slogan – ‘Freedom was their gift/Shaping the future is our mission’. The outrage was understandable.

Renewables Powering the March to Socialism?

CHINA’s rise in renewable energy is nothing short of breathtaking. Last year, it added more solar capacity in a single year than the United States has in its entire history. By 2023, Chinese wind farms could generate 450 gigawatts - double that of the European Union, and equal to India’s entire power system across all fuels. 40 per cent of all cars sold in China in 2024 were electric.

Put Humans First: End the Stray Dog Menace

A SUPREME Court directive on August 11, 2025 to remove stray dogs from the streets of Delhi-NCR has brought an issue that causes immense suffering to people across India to the spotlight. The stray dog menace causes millions of dog bites in India every year, resulting in injuries, disabilities, trauma, and death to untold numbers of people. Although a larger bench of the Supreme Court has subsequently modified the August 11th directive, the judicial intervention has created an environment where effective solutions to the stray dog menace can be discussed widely.

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