Chhattisgarh Maoist attack The killing of 73 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men in Chhattisgargh state by Maoist insurgents is a stark reminder that, despite all its claims of development and progress, trouble is brewing in India. While the Indian government has been busy pumping billions into the defence budget, Maoist guerrillas have been organising and spreading imperceptibly through the resource-rich rural, tribal areas of Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Despite fighting the Naxalite movement for decades and crushing it with all its might, the Indian government has not been able to eliminate it. As the newspapers reported, New … Continue reading 73 Indians killed by Maoists

When rightwing hate goes mainstream The Republican party is indulging extremists, hoping they’ll put down their guns long enough to vote for them this November Late Monday afternoon I received an email from the American Patriot Foundation informing me that Terrence Lakin, a lieutenant colonel in the US army, needed my help. It seems that Lakin had refused to obey orders unless his commander-in-chief – that would be Barack Obama – produces evidence proving he was born in the United States and is thus constitutionally qualified to serve as president. Lakin now faces a court-martial and prison. Well, good for Lakin. What … Continue reading The US Republican party destroying itself?

How I learned to love Twitter At first I thought Twitter was for kids, but I was soon hooked. It’s like having fairies in your garden A long time ago – less than a year ago in fact, but time goes all stretchy in the Twittersphere, just as it does in those folksongs in which the hero spends a night with the Queen of Faerie and then returns to find that a hundred years have passed and all his friends are dead … Where was I? Oh yes. A long time ago, back in June of 2009, we were planning … Continue reading Do you love Twitter?

Sikhs struggling with free speech Gurpreet Bhatti’s latest play isn’t being attacked as Behzti was, but that does not mean the Sikh community approves Just over five years ago, in December 2004, a row kicked off in Birmingham over the play Behzti (Dishonour) by the playwright Gurpreet Bhatti. Sikh fundamentalists took to the Birmingham Rep to protestbecause it featured rape in a Sikh gurdwara and eventually managed to get the play shut down. They declared victory. The writer is now back in the limelight as her next production, Behud (Beyond Belief) comes to theatre. It is also written as an attempt to recreate … Continue reading Sikhs – Free Speechingwalas

The Infidel: a case of mistaken identity It ought to have been right up my street, but the politics of David Baddiel’s new film, The Infidel, just didn’t ring true Oh boy, I’m gonna get myself in trouble for this one. So, a few weeks ago I went to a preview screening of new comedy The Infidel, out on general release tomorrow. The concept of the film: a Muslim discovers that he was born a Jew, and religious-based hilarity ensues. As the lights dimmed I was proper excited. Here was the utilisation of comedy as a tool to celebrate what makes … Continue reading The Infidel: Blasphemous and Evil Film!

Tiger Woods is favourite to win the Masters, but his saga forces us to focus on the meaning of our support for celebrity athletes The shift from Tiger Woods‘s past to his future occurred when heapologised for marital transgressions on 19 February 2010. Casting himself as a modern day Icarus, Woods spoke of the ugliness of arrogance, and the shame of forsaking his parents’ teachings. He acknowledged remorse at the pain he inflicted upon friends, family members, professional associates, and fans. His statement concluded with the hope that his supporters might find a way to believe in him once again. The … Continue reading Tiger Woods and the persecution of his penis!

Kyrgyzstan’s second tulip revolution Kurmanbek Bakiyev has failed to learn the lessons of the past and is set to follow the corrupt president he replaced into exile The return of Viktor Yanukovich as the duly elected president of Ukraine in February seemed to mark a reversal of the colour revolutions that started with Georgia’s rose revolution in November 2003 and ended with Kyrgyzstan’s tulip revolution in March 2005. Following a rigged election, Yanukovich was deposed by peaceful demonstrations in Kiev in the country’s orange revolution in December 2004. After the successful tulip revolution in the mountainous central Asia republic of Kyrgyzstan, which … Continue reading Kyrgyzstan revolting?

The web is changing how politics works – but not in the ways you might expect, says Matt Warman. By Matt Warman telegraph.co.uk Comments 21 | Comment on this article The MyDavidCameron spoof site produced spoof images of the Conservative leader Photo: MYDAVIDCAMERON.COM From clips of Gordon Brown picking his nose on the green benches to the Conservative Party‘s long-running series of WebCameron videos, the internet is already shaping the course of British politics. But many are predicting that a general election will move the process into overdrive – that David Cameron will be swept into No 10 on the … Continue reading General Election 2010: never underestimate the power of the internet

The struggle for equality in Egypt The debate about rights has had little resonance because both genders are taught that a woman’s place is in the home Baher Ibrahim guardian.co.uk Debates about women’s rights are not new to Egypt. They have been around since the early 20th century. Now, even in 2010, there is no consensus on what role women should play in society. The issue was brought into the spotlight again when Egypt’s state council – the court authorised to settle disputes concerning the exercise of public power – voted by an overwhelming majority to bar a female judge … Continue reading Both genders are taught that a woman’s place is in the home?

Recent legislation is further criminalising prostitutes but doing nothing about the reasons why they choose this work Cari Mitchell guardian.co.uk Sex worker in Soho, London. New legislation is further criminalising sex work. Photograph: Dan Chung The Policing and Crime Act came into force yesterday. Its anti-prostitution measures were put forward by government feminists who advocate the “Swedish model”. In 1998, Sweden passed legislation making it illegal for men to purchase sexual services. This was part of a package also covering stalking, rape and domestic violence, so few have questioned it. Soon, the criminalisation of prostitution – not the neglect and … Continue reading Sex work should not be a crime?