US Service Workers Strike: Highlighting Racism on 20th July

A US National Coalition of labour unions and racial and social justice organisations have decided to go on a mass strike from work from July 20th , as part of an ongoing protests on systemic racism and police brutality in the United States and to pay a tribute to George Floyd who was killed in a police brutality last month. 



The organisers of the strike have demanded strict action by the Trump government to end the racism in an economy that has been choking off the economic mobility and career growth opportunities for many Black and Hworkers, who struggle to make a living amidst discrimination and are not able to rise up to higher positions at work.



The coalition has demanded for guaranteed sick pay, affordable healthcare and better safety measures for low-wage workers who don't have the option of working from home during COVID-19.

Only two years after the end of World War II, the French couturier presented a collection that symbolized not only a departure from previous styles, but the beginning of a new society. 

After the war period of utilitarian attires and vestiary austerity, perhaps nothing felt newer than Dior's vision. His first collection rejected the modern course of dressing established in the 1920s and 30s, which intended to liberate women from the restrictive sculptural volumes and corsets of early 20th-century fashion. Instead, he presented an image of radical femininity, achieved by tight-fitting jackets with padded hips, petite waists, and A-line skirts.

Dior became the new star of the Parisian haute couture scene and almost instantly transformed the wardrobe of the contemporary woman. The "New Look," the name by which Dior's style eventually went down in history, appealed strongly to the nostalgic mood of the post-war society.

Dior didn't want to create everyday clothes for the pragmatic woman of the fast-moving century but rather sell a dream of the good old days, when women could afford to be extravagant and deliberately glamorous. The New Look was a rediscovery of prosperity, and women across generations and social classes adopted it happily.

Feminists protested against New Look 

Not everybody was thrilled by the hip padding, draperies, pleats, embellishments, and other exaggerations proposed by Dior, however. Those were, in fact, regressive ideas, and many criticized Dior righteously for taking away women's newly attained independence by lacing them up in corsets and making them wear long skirts again. American fashion designers, who embraced modest, sleek silhouettes and whose business was blossoming during the war, were also similarly appalled by Dior's design. 

Kanye West's 2020 Presidential Bid

Hip hop artiste and producer Kanye West, took to Twitter on Saturday to announce he would be running for President of the U.S, in the elections slated to take place in November. The 43-year-old rapper chose July 4 — widely celebrated across the United States as its Independence Day — to make his announcement. “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! 2020 vision,” West tweeted Saturday evening.

West hasn’t filed with the Federal Election Commission or created a campaign committee, and he can’t run for either of the main two political parties in the US as their candidates are already presumed: Donald Trump for the Republicans and Joe Biden for the Democrats.

However, the rapper could potentially register as an independent candidate – but he’d need to get in quick. Deadlines for registering in Texas, New Mexico, Indiana, Maine and North Carolina have already passed, and for other states the deadline is August. But West would face a bunch of hurdles in pursuing a bid this late, according to the New York Times.

Speculation about West's announcement filled social media Sunday. Some say he's running to hurt Joe Biden by trying to peel away Black voters from the presumptive Democratic candidate. Others argue the opposite, noting West could attract some of the small percentage of Black voters who like Trump or those who supported Trump because they want to "burn down the system." Some say West isn't really running, just promoting his new album. Others, probably rightly, note that West may be doing this simply for attention, much the way Trump does.

Political Policies

Outside of “unifying our vision and building our future”, West hasn’t indicated what his political policies would be, and his allegiance isn’t clear cut. Back in 2005, West claimed that then-president George Bush didn’t care about black people, but he’s since backflipped on his comments. Now, controversially, he’s shown to be a strong Trump supporter. He’s been seen wearing a Make America Great Again cap, and met with Trump many times.

On Saturday Night Live in 2018, West said “if someone inspires me and I connect with them, I don’t have to believe in all their policies”. He also claimed slavery was a “choice”, and shown support for far-right commentator Candace Owens, who said Black Lives Matter protestors were “whiny toddlers pretending to be oppressed”.

His wife, Kim Kardashian, is training to be a lawyer, and successfully secured clemency for Alice Marie Johnson in 2018 after lobbying Trump. Her family has always publicly supported the Democratic Party.

What are his chances?

With merely four months to go for polling day on November 3, West has not confirmed whether he has submitted the official paperwork required to appear on state election ballots. He is also yet to clarify whether he will be running as an Independent candidate or if he has any party affiliations.

According to a BBC report, his name does not appear in the Federal Election Commission (FEC) database for the upcoming Presidential election in November. The closest name is a candidate called ‘Kanye Deez Nutz West’, who registered with the FEC in 2015, using the address ‘1977 Golddigger Avenue, Suite Yeezus’, BBC reported.

To appear on the state ballot as an independent candidate, Kanye will be required to collect a certain amount of signatures and register in states before a deadline. While this deadline has passed in most states, there are a few where Kanye can still register, Reuters reported.

Soon after West announced he was running for President, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to his tweet, saying: “You have my full support!”

Police misconduct is a grey area that citizens around the world in each part of the world face in their day to day lives , at varying degrees but constantly. With the death of George Floyd out in the daylight amidst many bystanders at the hands of a ruthless cop in Minneapolis led the whole world feeling choked two men in the Tamil Nadu lost their lives to custodial violence in Thoothukudi . The world around is truly not accepting and sympathetic but rather brutish. These are incidents of abuse of power but they do not exist in isolation but rather come from a space which is concealed and hidden and lies are concocted to push this matter further down .





The crimes of these men are not arson and murder but a means to livelihood in these extremely trying times of health hazard a pandemic constantly They had reportedly kept their mobile shop open beyond 8 p.m. on June 19, despite restrictions imposed by the state as part of lockdown measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. It is important to understand that compassion and humanity seems to be non existant even during such times ,one can only imagine the activities before the pandemic .



Custodial deaths have been on the increase in recent years in India. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recorded a staggering 1,674 cases of custodial deaths in 334 days (11 months) between April 2017 and February 2018, which implies over five deaths in custody per day. Unfortunately, most of the deaths are registered as suicides or deaths due to medical conditions.During the COVID-19 period, in particular, the police have resorted to excessive violence and indiscriminate use of lathis (clubs) against people .



As the citizens of any democratic nation have india too has Article 21 of the Indian Constitution states: “No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to a procedure established by law.” This is the “procedural magna carta protective of life and liberty.”

Section 49 of the Indian Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) accords several rights to the arrested person. It specifically states that there shall be no more restraint than is justly necessary to prevent escape. Section 50 of the CrPC makes it mandatory for police making arrests without warrant to inform the persons being detained about the grounds of arrest and their right to bail.



Most importantly, the arrested have a right to free legal aid and the right to consult their lawers whereas the father son duo was however inhumanely beaten up and tortured in ways that are unimaginable. On June 22, Jeyaraj and Benicks became severely ill and were taken to a hospital, where they died a day apart from each other.



A human rights violation like this cannot be allowed to happen in any civilized society. In response to public outcry, two subinspectors have been suspended and an inspector benched by the state government, and proceedings have been initiated against two head constables. However this raised so many issues on multiple levels . Is the law so complaiscant to the wishes of the enforcers that it forgets the basic principles it is to function on ? Is it the law or the enforcer that determines the end result of a breach in It. These are questions that need to be answered and understood by each citizen . There is a huge lack of knowledge about this . The death of George floyd sparked a flurry of protests while the death of these two men needed more outcry, it needed more people to speak up and challenge this brutality , sadly it didnt happen. Does this mean that people are more likely to support the cause of someone unknown to them in a another nation. Is the outcry and sentiment only tokenostic in nature if not why is there so much of lack of empathy and realization about the state of affairs in their surroundings , because in India too 5 people die due to police misconduct. The numbers reflected too are the ones that are known about there are so many that vanish into oblivion. It is essential to understand the gravity of this situation and demand change and check on abuse of power so that one day someone else doesn't find themselves battling this . It will however require a lot more than mere acknowledgement of something so heart wrenchingly cold, it requires actions towards a more responsible police and accountable police for the people not over the people.

" Truth is Expensive ": Aspiring Journalists 

“Not all battles are fought for victory. Some battles are fought to tell the world that someone was there on the battlefield.”
                   - Ravish Kumar.

Freedom of the press is an integral part of freedom of speech. Space for dissent is what keeps the fire ignited in democracy & brings the unspoken in light.  However, how free are we today to speak the unspoken?  and by ' we', I mean all of us. Well, sacrifices! We have to pay for everything, for freedom of expression too.

I was 16 when investigative journalists exposed a well-known medical institution in Jharkhand that was practising female infanticide. Since then, the pursuit of truth, that truth is eternal, in journalism has always inspired me to join the culture of journalism. Journalism, where the voice has power & right words can shatter even the strongest lie.

Well, When I told my parents how passionate I was to become a journalist, the first feedback was," It's Risky Beta".
An aspiring journalist is always made aware that there is a price to pay when unwanted truths tumble out, you have to pay for the truth.

 There's always a line that would not be crossed but, as I inch closer to my dream of becoming a journalist, the line gets blurred. There's no idea for the price of truth. You might have to trade your life.

2017: I was 17 when Gauri Lankesh was assassinated. You have to fight against autocracy and fight against the exploitation of power. I'm a media student right now & our institution stopped us to talk & put the poster of ' Gauri Lankesh'.

 The last few months, in particular, have been a whirlwind for India – from the protests against the citizenship law to police brutality, the Kashmir lockdown and the coronavirus lockdown, a series of arrests of journalists and the deadly Delhi riots – the news industry has barely had a minute to breathe.

But with every reinforced silence, the fight of journalists is weakening. Where criticism of governments is a sign of good journalism, the arrest of such journalists who are trying to bring out the truth is the sign of a failing democracy & you are titled as ' Anti- Nationals'. The first rule of Journalism: BE NEUTRAL. That's the price journalists have to pay: Hide the truth &  so separate from work and fear of repercussions injected into them plays a dominating role.

So when Gauri Lankesh was assassinated or when Masrat Zahra was charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, I’m sure many young people dreaming of joining the ranks of the fourth pillar of democracy vanished.

Well, some of my classmates who are pursuing journalism, accept that they experience withering of their spirit when it comes to continuing journalism as their career. No Security for Journalists. So, you have better options :  filmmaking or advertising – which they say are growing sectors.

What about the harsh reality, the dialect that is uttered in journalism? 

Well, stories about, Health journalist Vidya Krishnan being harassed, threatened and humiliated online for calling out the lapses in the way India has been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Oh ! that's the security provided to truth-seekers. 

 These cases have lit a fire in the belly may questioning the ethics of journalism.
 Why journalists, on the ground covering the pandemic were not given access to proper gear?  Recently, an on-ground journalist, Ronojoy Roy, died of what was suspected to be coronavirus and he is not the only one. Several more have tested positive.
In the World Press Freedom Index of 2020, India fell by two places and now stands at the 142nd position.

Independent media houses and fact-checking websites sell untruths and half-truths to their audiences: The flagbearers of journalism !! 
Many journalists don't sacrifice their belief system by joining a media house. 

Why many are disappointed about joining a profession where one is ambushed for speaking truth to power?
In a  democratic country, the unrestricted cycle of information is important. 

The battle in me has become dimensionless. But the revolutionary spirit needs to bike phoenix– can be reflamed.

Following presented are some interesting facts which a school curriculum does not cover-

• The first U.S gay rights organization, “The Society for Human Rights” (SHR) was founded in 1924 by Henry Gerber, a German immigrant, which was disbanded in 1925 by police raids.


•  The first newsletter which gave voice to the obstacles faced by the community was “Friendship and Freedom”.


• Similarly, the first lesbian rights organization were formed was called “Daughters of Bilitis” with San Francisco being claimed as its birthplace on September 21, 1955.  

But what about India? In India, post-independence. Light was thrown on the community of the people of LGBT when the famous Mathematician Shakuntala Devi published the first study on homosexuality called “The world of Homosexuals”.

In 1977, All Inida-Hijra Conference was held in Agra where 50,000 members travelled to attend the conference!

Another day and yet another year in which the colours of the rainbow flail with pride, bringing a new perspective everyday of every month of every year. Then why is the entire month of June known as the Pride month?

The story behind the name travels back to 1960s, the time when same-sex relations were illegal in The United States of America. The history of this is particularly linked with the New York City. Since the relations were banned all around, the members of this community flocked to bars, clubs which were specifically designed for them, where they could express their true selves without any fear and restriction. Although the New York State Liquor Authority penalized and closed these bars, the activists legalised the rights for these bars to serve liquor, unfortunately, they were not allowed to display their affection publicly. Even though all bars couldn’t receive the liquor license, they still functioned with zeal as a major reason behind this was, they were backed up by the Mafia.

During this period, the Genovese crime family hegemonized the almost all the bars located in the Greenwich Village. One of them was the Stonewall Inn which was renovated into a gay bar in 1967. History states that the Genovese crime family bribed the sixth precinct of the NYPD to ignore the activities being effectuated. Because of the bribery, the family cut off costs which were required for the maintenance of the club. Which also lacked fire exits.

The very club stood out as it welcomed drag queen which faced prejudice in most of the clubs. The bar was only one of a few which allowed dancing.

The morning of June 28 changed the entire course of future thereafter, it was the day the NYPD raided the bar which came to the people as surprise. The raided ended up arresting 13 people which in turn included employees and people who manifested the courage to stand up against the gender appropriate clothing statute. The arrested were aggressively manhandled. This sparked an infuriating protest against the very riot, which also ended up in igniting the place. Numerous gay rights organizations which included GLAAD (formerly Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), PFLAG (formerly Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), etc. Therefore, thousands marched to the streets of Manhattan which was named “Christopher Street Liberation Day” with its official chant being: “SAY IT OUT LOUD, GAY IS PROUD!” The intensive street riots brought on by the enraged members of the community hoped to bring about a change and put an end to the discrimination faced by them for years, as a result of which June 28, 1970 marks one-year anniversary.

America’s 44th President; Barack H. Obama claimed the site of Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park, and the surrounding streets and sidewalks as a national monument in 2016, in respect to the contribution made for the gay rights.

Gradually, to commemorate the very sacrifices, the month experienced a series of events, each year to even more successful than the last, with youth finally accepting their true selves. Unfortunately, they still have a long way to go worldwide.

•In past 24 hours, the Israeli army has shot a Palestinian with autism to death, bulldozed Palestinian homes. Jenin is on fire.

•A Tanker truck drove into protesters on Minneapolis highway.

•A driver in Denver, ran over pedestrians with his SUV during a peaceful protest for George Floyd

#blacklivesmatters 

•The Protest against police brutality reached to Amsterdam as well

•The Same Hacker Group that hacked governmental organisations threatened to expose the other crimes from the Minneapolis police.

"I can't breathe” has become symbolic with the protests that were sparked with the death of a black man in police custody in front of many as he begged for his life. The event took place on 26, 2020.Minneapolis police was called by a grocery store employee after George Floyd allegedly tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. The subsequent arrest, a violent one of Floyd, a black man, was filmed by many members of the public. He could be seen on the ground with his hands cuffed behind him while a white officer, Derek Chauvin, 44, pressed him to the pavement with his knee on Floyd’s neck. Chauvin was holding Floyd down for about eight minutes as Floyd complained of breathlessness and becoming unresponsive, while witnesses begged the officers to release him. Eventually paramedics had to lift limp Floyd on to a stretcher and placing him in an ambulance towards a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Floyd was described as a gentle giant by loved ones. He worked as a club security guard until COVID-19 restriction rendered him unemployed. His death has enraged a series of protest that began peacefully In Minneapolis culminating into what are now the The Twin Cities protests. His death has brought up wounds and memories of the grave racial inequality in the nation. The deaths of others like Eric Garner and Michael Brown amongst many others were refreshed as the nation heart wrenched for the unfortunate death of this man . Hundreds of protesters gathered at the driveway of Chauvin's house after Floyd’s death which prompted police response and Chauvin being charged with third degree murder.

The incident has however turned into a realisation of the way racism in internalised in the America and how it impacts the daily life of millions. The protests have since then turned violent and spread across the nation including Atlanta, New York, Charlotte, Los Angeles , Washington D.C, Virginia amongst others. With a state of emergency declared in Minnesota troops were deployed across the region. Symbolic gestures and peaceful protests continue amongst the violence, looting and rioting. Protesters are seen kneeling before the troops while chanting slogans of “i can’t breathe” and reinstating the black lives matter movement. The protests have seen support from numerous celebrities and president Trump too said that the voices of peaceful protests should not be drowned in the violence.

Teary eyes with sorrow and fire, coughing and dark fumes of smoke and a burning smell take us to Minneapolis, a burning city. This unrest should leaves people unsettled due to the normalised differential treatment  of people of colour and not due to the violence or the looting as they have endangering the lives of many amidst the ongoing battles with COVID-19.  This conscious effort and a spark towards change should not be allowed to go down in flames as a few people cannot take over the narrative from thousands of peaceful protesters .

Suhana Sehrawat

China's legislature has approved a proposal to impose a highly contentious national security law in Hong Kong, in an unprecedented move that critics say threatens fundamental political freedoms and civil liberties in the semi-autonomous territory.

The country's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), nearly unanimously approved the resolution Thursday to introduce the sweeping security legislation, which bans secession, subversion of state power, terrorism, foreign intervention and allows mainland China's state security agencies to operate in the city.

Only one delegate voted against the proposal, while 2,878 voted for and six abstained.

The law will drastically broaden Beijing's power over Hong Kong, which last year was roiled by anti-government protests calling for greater democracy and more autonomy from mainland China.

It is every person’s dream to celebrate their love and tie a knot with the person they love. Unfortunately, most of them are judged and are treated as an inferior because of their sexual preference. But this is not the story of Alexandra Quiros and Dunia Araya, the two Ticos as they tied a knot on MAY 26, 2020.

A ray of hope glimmered on July 1, 2018, where the President made a public apology to the members of the LGBTQ community who had faced a dire situation of descrimination and eventually the issue of same sex marriage was finally raised in August 2018 the constitutional court underlined that ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional and discriminatory, and within a span of 18 months, the ban was overruled.

“Empathy and love should from now on be the guiding principles which will allow us to move forward,” said the tweet of Costa Rica’s President Carlos Alvarado Quesada shortly after the announcement. Costa Rica became the sixth country in Latin America to legalize the law with Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and parts of Mexico and the first country in Central America. It is the 28th UN Member state to legalize same-sex marriage.

According to a survey which was conducted in 2013-14, it was found that non-religious communities , non-practicing Catholics and non-Christian minorities ware in support of the LGBT rights than most of the people who practiced Catholics, Mainline Protestants and Neo-Pentecostals which they believed it to be morally Incorrect and a “curable” disease. Left-wing party Broad Front was one of the first main parties to support the same sex-marriage.

Even though the homo sapiens have progressed through these years with new inventions on every field, we fail to transform to the Homo Novus. Despite these laws, the LGBT community faces discrimination on a daily basis, which isn’t shocking, females have been refused to be accepted an equal. Even though the discrimination against women is a whole another issue in itself, but what’s common between the two issues is that both the genders have the right of acceptance and equality.

The world needs a change in the custom societal idiosyncrasy. Marriage shouldn’t be about shoving the custom down one’s throat, neither Love can ever be forced. Sexuality is the path to self-knowledge which isn’t accepted in the 21st century. Alan Rickman, one of the brilliant master minds, a British mathematician who joined a cryptography team to decipher the German enigma code was homosexual and was convicted to “gross indecency” in March 1952 and was sentenced to 12-month hormone therapy.  Giving in, he finally took his life. Moral of the story being, one does not have the right to own one’s life.  Love isn’t a “curable” disease. Eventually, one either has to let the person embrace their true self or wave them a goodbye.