What the withdrawal of farm laws mean
Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes in the Indian Express that while the repeal of three farm laws signifies the victory of farmers, it also denotes how old-fashioned protests can crack the government’s facade of total control.
However, the constant demonisation of the protests by the government has led to deep mistrust and alienation in the state of Punjab.
More here.
Brazil’s expanding slaughter house industry
The New York Times delves into Brazil’s tannery industry and shows how hides from illegally deforested ranches reach the global marketplace. In the United States, there is a huge market for the Brazilian leather. A big part of this demand is driven by US’ automobile industry.
The investigation finds how a weak monitoring system in Brazil has allowed the illegal trade in cattle hide to flourish.
More here.
Booster shots and the debate around them
The world is debating whether rich countries should give a third Covid-19 booster shot to vulnerable segments of their population even as many underdeveloped countries are experiencing vaccine shortages. This piece in the Scientific American looks at how the World Health Organisation’s target of vaccinating 70% of the global population by June may be missed due to boosters.
Donations to Covax, the international initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, have been slow and booster shots may further slow down the process.
Read more here
A Dalit woman and her story of caste discrimination
In Scroll.in’s Common Ground story, Johanna Deeksha narrates how D Pothumallee struggled for a job for several years.
“It was all about caste, money and politics” is what her husband Dharmaraj has to say. “Only people with influence would end up getting the jobs and we would end up running door to door, begging.”
This article describes about caste discrimination in jobs in Tamil Nadu – one of India’s more progressive states.
Read the story here.
Hegel today
To an unusual degree among the great philosophers, GWF Hegel’s influence has waxed and waned. On his death in 1831, he was the reigning voice in German philosophy. However, his followers, soon split into opposed camps: the Right Hegelians, a conservative and religious group, and the Left Hegelians, a socially radical group including Karl Marx. Amid their squabbles, Hegel’s star began to fade in Germany. But in the late 19th century, it once again rose to prominence in the rest of Europe.
However, Hegel was outside the Anglophone canon for a century. He was too dense, too abstract, too suspect. So why is his star rising again?
More here.
Tabassum Barnagarwala covers health for Scroll.in.
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