Habib Siddiqui

  Under British rule, India’s countryside was ruled not just by colonial officers but by a class of landlords known as zamindars. Empowered by the Permanent Settlement of 1793, these intermediaries turned vast estates into engines of wealth — and misery. Their actions left scars on rural India, from starvation to rebellion, yet their legacy lingers in surprising ways. Many descendants of these landlords still enjoy economic and social prominence today. How did a system built on exploitation endure, and what does it tell us about power’s persistence? A System of Exploitation The Permanent Settlement, introduced by Lord Cornwallis, handed zamindars control over land revenue collection in regions like Bengal. They kept a share — typically 10–11% — while passing the rest to the British, a deal that incentivized squeezing tenants dry (Testbook, “Zamindari System in India UPSC Notes”). Rents often soared to 50–90% of a peasant’s harvest, leaving families teetering on survival. Failure to...

  US President Donald Trump , who returned to office pledging to end wars rather than launch new ones, now risks becoming entangled in another prolonged military war, according to an analysis piece published by The New York Times (NYT) on Thursday.  The report argues that despite Trump's repeated promises to avoid another "forever war" in West Asia, the ongoing confrontation with Iran is showing many of the characteristics that prolonged previous US military engagements in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The war launched by the US and the Israeli occupation has shifted between military attacks and intermittent diplomatic efforts. According to the NYT , neither approach has achieved Trump's publicly stated objectives of bringing about regime change in Iran or ending Tehran's nuclear program. Instead, the war has created a new strategic challenge centered on the Strait of Hormuz, where tensions over maritime access continue to threaten global energy markets and reg...

  Johannesburg, South Africa – Nelson Mandela Day has become the backdrop for a wider debate in South Africa over the values the former president represented, as the country grapples with inequality, economic frustration and growing divisions over how to address social problems. That debate has been sharpened this year by the decision of March and March, a coalition of anti-immigration activists that has organised protests across South Africa in recent months, to use Mandela Day activities to inspect businesses in towns across the Eastern Cape, Mandela’s home province, and identify undocumented workers and businesses they allege are operating illegally. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4 Nigeria sees no sign that anti-immigrant violence is waning in South Africa list 2 of 4 Why are anti-migrant attacks increasing in South Africa? list 3 of 4 Police clash with Malawian protesters demanding deportation in South Africa list 4 of 4 Fighting in Sudan: What we know so far e...

  A seventh consecutive night of attacks by United States forces on targets across Iran has left 10,000 people without water after a desalination plant was hit, with Iran retaliating by launching another wave of drones and missiles at US-allied Gulf states. Hamzeh Pour, chief executive of the Hormozgan Water and Wastewater Company, was quoted by the Tasnim news agency on Saturday as saying that a seawater pumping station and a power transformer at the Bunji desalination plant in Jask in southern Iran were “completely destroyed”, depriving 20 villages of water. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 Why is the US attacking southern Iran’s civilian infrastructure? list 2 of 3 Did China steal 2020 US election data, as Trump claims? list 3 of 3 Satellite images show damage inside Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant end of list Iran’s retaliation also targeted civilian infrastructure, a war crime under international humanitarian law. In the early hours of Saturday, Kuwait anno...

  Iran’s Health Ministry says US attacks on the country since July 6 have killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 500. Iran’s national water company says some 10,000 people across 20 villages are without water after overnight US attacks. Iran’s army says it has hit US assets in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait following the latest round of US strikes. Kuwait says Iranian attacks have targeted two power and water plants. Earlier, US Central Command said it had completed its seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran, employing “fighter aircraft, aerial drones and warships” to hit the country’s “surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities.

  July 17, 2026 7:51 pm The North Carolina office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NC), a branch of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today said it helped obtain a restraining order for a suspect who allegedly threatened a North Carolina mosque . The FBI and local law enforcement are investigating a threat against the Islamic Center of Wilmington . CAIR helped the mosque get a restraining order on the suspect and advised mosque officials about security measures. [ NOTE : Washington, D.C., based CAIR offers a “ Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety ” booklet, which provides advice on how to help keep religious facilities safe. The advice in the booklet is applicable to houses of worship of all faiths.] CAIR’s NC Office Manager Al Rieder told a local media outlet: “We have had the worst calendar year (2025) in terms of volume of cases that we’ve gotten on a national level — and on a state level — since CAIR’s founding in t...