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Justice on the Streets: A Look Into the CJP Protests

In the wake of the alleged paper leaks in NEET and other competitive examinations, deaths of at least twenty students have been reportedly associated with examination-induced distress. Against this backdrop, protests have been organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanding systematic changes in the education system and the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the Education Minister of India.

Sonam Wangchuk, who is an engineer, educator and an activist from Ladakh, joined the protest on 29 June, and started an indefinite hunger strike to further support the cause of the movement. Alongside him, multiple CJP members also joined the hunger strike, holding out until their demands were met.

The protests that started on 29 June intensified after Sonam Wangchuk was forcibly moved to a hospital on 18 July in hopes to end his hunger strike. On 20 July 2026, India saw a revolutionary youth movement called ‘Chalo Sansad’, a march to the Parliament, led by Abhijeet Dipke, leader of CJP. Thousands of protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar, and took to the streets of New Delhi, infuriated with the government and determined to secure concrete reformation.

Protesters continued to set up tents at the protest site. The tents brimmed with posters, expressing the displeasement of the civilians. The names of those on hunger strike were stuck on boards, along with the number of days that they have been protesting.

After 21 long days, Sonam Wangchuk decided to continue his fast even at the hospital and refused to stop until the students received the justice they deserve, even after exhibiting clinical signs of dehydration and severe health deterioration.

However, as days passed the events at Jantar Mantar spiralled out of the control of the CJP leaders. On July 20, during the ‘Chalo Sansad’ movement, the use of force by Delhi Police against the protesters ended up severely injuring them. Among these were also children and youngsters who arrived at the site with peaceful intentions. This incident spread online quickly, and sparked widespread anger amongst the youth of India. Following this, protests were initiated in different parts of India as the youth stood in solidarity with all those injured at Jantar Mantar.

In Patna, Bihar, hundreds of student demonstrators gathered at Gandhi Maidan and marched toward Dak Bungalow and Bailey Road; as police deployed water cannons and tear gas, leading to viral moments where students danced under the water spray.

In Kolkata, West Bengal the unified student march commenced in the Sealdah Station area and continued till the Esplanade area. Another solidarity rally was witnessed as thousands of citizens, students, and youth groups walked from the Jadavpur 8B area to Golpark.

Mumbai-based activists and citizens gathered at the Azad Maidan, echoing the voice of youth all around India. Mumbai Police registered eight First Information Reports (FIRs) in connection with the protests held across the city with the largest case being registered at Shivaji Park Police Station with over 600 protesters booked.

In Pune, the march began at Shaniwar Wada and concluded at the Collector’s Office, as participants arrived with placards highlighting their demands, deterred by the intermittent rain. They peacefully carried forward their march to the Collector’s Office while the Pune Police showed complete cooperation and handled the event with utmost precision.

Following these events, Sonam Wangchuk on 24 July, during the early hours of the morning, broke his indefinite hunger strike after twenty six long days, in the presence of two Union Ministers only on the condition that the government will take into account the compensation for the NEET aspirant students who lost their lives. He also demanded the cases of students present in the protest be taken back. He successfully got a written agreement for both his demands and finally broke his fast.

This, however, did nothing to help the protests die down. Abhijeet Dipke, along with many CJP members, was still on a hunger strike and the protests carried on in full force until the demands were met. Crowds still gathered at protest sites in respective cities, civilians were still waiting for answers and the youth was still hopeful. In support of those spending nights at Jantar Mantar, Indians from all around the country sent food, water, medicines and other necessities at the site as a symbol of silent support.

Those who could not join the protests, helped spread awareness about the situation on digital platforms. Social media played a significant role in amplifying and spreading awareness about the protest. Social media covered the information on the protest that mainstream media did not broadcast. Students used platforms like Instagram and X to share updates and document events in real time. Celebrities and public figures also shared posts expressing solidarity and helping the movement gain momentum. Renowned personalities like Shabana Azmi, Imran Khan, Swara Bhaskar, Huma Qureshi and Prakash Raj also joined the protest and stood with thousands of students for their cause.

Fortunately, their efforts and struggles did not go unnoticed because on July 25, Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation as the Education Minister after serving five years of his term. In his letter, Dharmendra Pradhan mentions that more than his ‘individual prestige’ he was disturbed to see the series of events that took place over the last ten days.

This development prompted the CJP to call off the protests at Jantar Mantar after a prolonged 36 days. President Droupadi Murmu accepted his resignation letter. Later, on the advice of the Prime Minister, she appointed Pralhad Joshi as the new Education Minister of India. Ultimately, the protests transformed public outrage into a coordinated movement for change. While the immediate demands remain contested, they succeeded in significant structural reform in the education system.

July 31, 2026
Education Mafia in India : Does Merit Even Matter Anymore?

An editorial from 2010, named “The decay in Indian education and society: Are we responsible for it?” tactfully examines popular trends in medical and educational institutions and puts forth the term “education mafia” to describe the motley crew of powerful people who puppeteer students according to their whims. The education mafia then springs into conversations here and there sporadically until the paper leaks of 2026 NEET exams. Rage spreading like wildfire about the corruption in the noble field of education consumes students who have piously devoted their life to the pursuit of erudition.

This education mafia refers to the nexus of politicians, bureaucrats and private entities who profit off the education system by exploiting it. This network involves rigged examination processes, faulty admissions and hyper-commercialized coaching culture which boosts a toxic environment for students and other individuals entrenched in this culture. One of the most prominent fields of their influence are the examination and paper leak rackets. The integrity of some high participation exams like the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and other central and state examinations have been compromised by organised paper leaks and paper solver gangs. Though there have been strict legislations passed against the act with 10-year jail term and a fine of up to ₹1 Crore, the mafia still continues to operate with negligible conviction cases.

The mafia is also secretly providing individuals with degree certificates without actually going through coursework through Degree Mills. “Degree Mills” are counterfeit institutions that exist only on paper and provide degrees to teachers to certify them as a pupil of B.Ed and D.El.Ed. This hampers the quality of educators of the country therefore, making the foundation of the whole system weak. The government has conducted various crack downs and undercover operations pertaining to this issue but was unable to eliminate the problem from its roots.

Another kleptocratic practice includes the huge hole that remains unaddressed by the government. The government of India provides top tier colleges for students pursuing engineering and medical but the student-to-seat ratio is highly disproportionate with students competing with thousands for their opportunity and this is capitalized heavily by coaching institutes. These conglomerates create a hegemonic system – dictating curriculum, draining the middle class families and creating a stressful and extremely competitive environment for students which is not at all conducive to them.

The cartel also works at K-12 level where alliances between state officials and private school management results in exorbitant school fees, hidden charges, mandatory overpriced books and school stationery from specific vendors and subversion of regulations. These are all the different scope of the mafia’s clout. The education mafia is also involved in the hundreds of cases of mass copying and providing employment to thousands of incompetent job seekers. But the question is – what happens to those affected by the deliberations of this syndicate when the government’s efforts seem to be ineffective? Do they deserve to go through the rigmarole of these exams again and again till their faith in merit is completely shattered? Or do they take a backseat in their own life and see where others’ decisions take them? Hopefully in the following years, it’s neither of these choices and students are allowed to participate in a system that works for them and not against them.

Image credit – Wikimedia Commons

July 30, 2026
Green Fuel, Dirty Air? Inside the Industrial Pollution Crisis of Byrnihat and the Hidden Cost of India’s Ethanol Push

Byrnihat, a town lying on the border of Assam and Meghalaya, has ranked number 1 as world’s most polluted city, recording an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 128.2 μg/m³, according to a study which was conducted by a Swiss air quality monitoring company IQAir in collaboration with the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). As we see India has been promoting ethanol blending programme as a key step towards reducing carbon emissions and dependence on imported crude oil, but the recent documentary on Byrnihat have sparked a debate over whether the environmental costs of producing green fuel have been adequately calculated or not.

The issue came into spotlight after a documentary by journalist Sarthak Goswami went viral on YouTube and clips made it to Instagram, which questioned whether the environmental impact of ethanol production has been overlooked ,but it didn’t make any strict claims , but it did challenge the claims made by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari that ethanol blending significantly reduces India’s carbon footprint, arguing that emissions generated during production deserve greater scrutiny and it also questioned whether carbon footprints are just being replaced by water footprints.

By 28 June 2026, the Meghalaya Health Department stated that it had not received any formal complaint regarding the alleged health impacts of the ethanol unit in Byrnihat and later also stated by Mr. Gadkari in an interview with AjjTak. The government clarified that while the allegations circulating online would be examined if its supported by evidence, no official complaint had been filed at the time.

Fuel ethanol production in Byrnihat commenced on 1 September 2024. Coincidentally, 2024 was also the year in which Byrnihat emerged as one of the world’s most polluted urban areas in global air quality rankings. However, this timing alone does not establish a relationship between the two. Byrnihat has been an industrial hub since a long time, it is housing a number of cement hubs, distilleries, ferroalloy units in and around it, more recently in 2024 ethanol manufacturing facilities as well.

Residents interviewed in the documentary told Sarthak Goswami and the team that emissions from factories have left their homes coated in black dust, leading to them washing vegetables multiple times before consumption and also making it difficult to breathe. Several villagers also claimed that respiratory illnesses, skin conditions and even cancer cases have increased over recent years.

Importantly, the documentary itself acknowledged that there is currently no scientific evidence directly linking any individual illness or death to a specific factory or to ethanol production alone. However, government health data cited in the investigation indicates that reported respiratory disease cases in the area rose from 2,082 in 2022 to 3,681 in 2024, showing a 77% rise, highlighting a worsening public health situation consistent with growing industrial pollution.

The debate also extends beyond air pollution. Ethanol continues to offer an important climate advantage over petrol by producing lower lifecycle carbon emissions, making it a cleaner transport fuel from a greenhouse gas perspective. Yet environmental experts have also bought the point that water footprints should also be part of the discussion about ethanol,

According to Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra, producing one litre of ricebased ethanol requires approximately 10,790 litres of water, raising concerns that while ethanol may reduce carbon footprints, it could simultaneously increase water footprints, particularly in a country like India where groundwater depletion is already a big crisis. According to the experts, Ethanol production also generates a high-strength wastewater known as vinasse, which requires proper treatment before disposal to prevent contamination of rivers and groundwater but minister Gadkari refuses to agree this wastewater problem in his recent interview.

The documentary by Sarthak Goswami further noted that although Meghalaya

Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa

Sarma announced plans last year to establish a joint committee to tackle Byrnihat’s pollution crisis, little visible progress has followed. As India’s ethanol blending targets continue to expand, Byrnihat raises a broader policy question:

can India’s transition to cleaner fuels succeed if the environmental costs of production remain concentrated in industrial towns already struggling with severe pollution?

Photo: Janak Bhatta / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

July 29, 2026
The Dark Web Beyond Stereotypes: Privacy, Crime and Regulation

The Dark web is a deliberately hidden segment of the internet that is accessed daily via specialised anonymising software by millions of users, ranging from citizens seeking privacy to cybercriminals hiding illegal trade. While many see the Dark web merely as a space full of cybercrime and obscenity operating beyond the reach of law enforcement, experts maintain that this depiction fails to represent its full scope. A recent report by the cybersecurity research institution RAND Corporation noted that the Dark web “may be used for legitimate purposes as well as to conceal criminal or otherwise malicious activities.”

Public attention toward the Dark web has grown in recent years because of increased ransomware attacks, along with ongoing discussions about digital privacy. Governments argue that “warrant-proof encryption” creates obstacles for police investigations, but digital rights organisations argue that strong encryption should be used to safeguard people’s right to private communication. For many internet users, the Dark web enters public discussion only when a major arrest, ransomware incident or large-scale data breach makes headlines.
The takedown of major Dark web marketplaces such as Silk Road and AlphaBay has changed public perceptions of the Dark web as lawless.
At the same time, these events have highlighted the Dark web’s growing political and technological importance by demonstrating how anonymising technologies can empower both illicit networks and activists seeking to bypass restrictive censorship. As governments expand online monitoring and civil society groups push back against censorship, the Dark web has increasingly become a subject of debate where issues of security, privacy, and control come into conflict.

What is the Dark web?
The internet is often explained using the iceberg theory, a popular visual metaphor that builds upon the work of computer scientist Michael K. Bergman. In his 2001 seminal white paper, “The Deep Web: Surfacing Hidden Value,” Bergman originally compared searching the internet to “dragging a net across the surface of the ocean,” noting that while much is caught in the net, a wealth of deep information is missed. This concept naturally evolved into the widely used iceberg analogy. Just like the tip of an iceberg, the surface web, which accounts for roughly 4–5 per cent of the internet, includes websites that can be accessed through regular search engines. Below this lies the deep web, which makes up most online content and includes private databases, academic portals, subscription platforms, and medical records.
The Dark web is a smaller and deliberately hidden part of the deep web, accessible only through specialised software.
Most of these hidden sites function through an anonymous network, which includes Tor (The Onion Router) and I2P. Tor, developed in the early 2000s with the support of the US Naval Research Agency, uses multiple layers of routing to hide a user’s identity and IP address. These tools are designed to provide anonymity. Usage data states that millions of people use Tor worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of daily users in the United States alone.

Concerns and risks
The Dark web is perhaps best known for its association with illegal activities. Dark web marketplaces have long been used to trade drugs, weapons, forged documents, stolen data, and malware. Furthermore, the network’s anonymity is notoriously exploited to facilitate severe human rights abuses, including human trafficking, sex rings, and the distribution of child exploitation material. International law enforcement agencies have conducted joint operations to eliminate major platforms, which resulted in both arrests and asset confiscation.
Anonymity presents major challenges for investigators. Many transactions on the Dark web involve cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or privacy-focused alternatives like Monero, making financial tracing difficult. Authorities argue that encrypted communication tools create a safe environment for organised crime. However, law enforcement agencies have developed new methods, including undercover operations and monitoring concealed platforms, to identify offenders.
In recent years, hidden forums have increasingly supported wider cybercrime networks. Ransomware groups and fraud rings, together with data brokers, frequently use hidden platforms to plan their attacks and sell stolen information. Companies now depend on Dark web monitoring tools, which help them identify both leaked credentials and initial indicators of data breaches. However, the hidden sites still pose significant dangers to individual users because they use scams, malware and phishing attacks as their main methods of operation.

Alternative uses
Despite these risks, the Dark web also serves vital non-criminal purposes. In countries with restrictive media laws and widespread online monitoring, anonymising networks help activists and dissidents to bypass censorship and organise securely. Journalists use Dark web platforms to establish source communication, which protects their sources from potential backlash. Major news organisations operate .onion versions of their websites, which enable whistleblowers to submit information without revealing their identities.

Government and expert responses
At the policy level, responses remain divided. Proposals that would give governments special access to encrypted communications have faced strong opposition from technology companies and rights groups. The European Union and United Kingdom court systems, together with their data protection authorities, have issued warnings that any reduction of encryption strength will endanger both free speech rights and individual safety. Monitoring organisations such as Freedom House have observed a worldwide increase in governmental restrictions that control online anonymity, which they believe makes it harder for people to maintain their privacy and obtain information.
Experts increasingly argue that large-scale monitoring measures are unlikely to eliminate Dark web activity and may instead weaken trust in digital systems. Many call for more targeted enforcement, improved technical capacity, and stronger international cooperation rather than blanket regulation.

The ongoing debate
The ongoing Dark web debate shows how digital tensions between different forces in society create their own problems. Governments seek to protect national security while fighting crime, but civil society organisations emphasise the need for people to have the right to privacy and freely express themselves. Both sides continue to debate workable long-term solutions. In some cases, attempts to control the Dark web may push operations into more secretive areas, but the practice of unregulated anonymity creates dangerous situations.
The Dark web functions as both a criminal space and a space that provides freedom to users. It has developed alongside the policies and technologies designed to regulate it. As surveillance capabilities expand and internet freedoms fluctuate worldwide, the Dark web is likely to remain both a refuge and a regulatory challenge.

Image Credits: David Whelan/ Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication

July 14, 2026
The Threat of El Niño 2026

A potentially historic “Super” El Niño is currently developing in the Pacific Ocean. The latest World Meteorological Organisation update suggests a high probability of El Niño conditions emerging between June and August 2026. According to the forecasts, this event could be very similar to the 1876–78 El Niño in terms of intensity, the strongest on record, which led to severe droughts and widespread famines across several affected regions.

What is El Niño?

El Niño is a natural phenomenon that affects the climate by increasing the temperature of the surface layer of the tropical Pacific Ocean along the equator.

This phenomenon occurs every 2 to 7 years, and causes a disruption of weather patterns globally. Despite having varying levels of intensity from year to year, El Niño has a widespread climate effect as it is commonly associated with warmer-than-average temperatures across the globe. Southeast Asian countries often suffer from decreased rainfall and droughts, whereas North and South American regions tend to have heavy rainfall that causes floods and landslides.

What Happens When a Natural Cycle Meets a Warming Planet

Australia and Indonesia have drier climates that affect the availability of water resources and agriculture. In recent years, researchers have become increasingly concerned about the direct link of El Niño to the rapid change in climate. Though a natural phenomenon, human-induced climate change may have an inordinate impact on El Niño. For instance, if an El Niño event occurs during a period of already high global temperatures, it can further contribute to record-breaking heat, as experienced in 2026.

Climatologists point out that this rapidly growing phenomenon is causing unprecedented warming of the planet and putting the year among the hottest years ever recorded, while 2027 may see even higher temperatures.

“El Niño conditions will pour fuel on the fire of a warming world. Impacts will hit even harder, travel even farther, and cross borders with devastating speed. The only effective response is climate action equal to the crisis – ending the addiction to fossil fuels, accelerating the shift to renewables, protecting the most vulnerable, and delivering early warning systems for all.” warns UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his WMO press release.

To conclude, the emergence of El Niño serves as an alarming indicator that climate-related catastrophes are no longer distant possibilities. The scale of its impact on weather conditions highlights the urgent need for stronger mitigation measures and preparedness for the future. Ignoring these signals could leave communities increasingly exposed to possible climate extremes, making them more vulnerable to such future events.

July 4, 2026
Inside the SpaceX IPO: Who Really Benefits?

On June 12, 2026, SpaceX went public on the Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX. Shares were priced at $135 each, valuing the company at $1.75 trillion and raising around $75 billion, making it the biggest IPO in stock market history, topping even Saudi Aramco’s 2019 listing. The IPO made founder Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire.

The hype was massive. Over 125 analysts from 21 banks were brought in for the roadshow, and SpaceX hosted a special event for 1,500 retail investors days before pricing. Starlink, the satellite internet business that makes up the majority of SpaceX’s revenue, was the headline story driving the astronomical valuation.

It looks thrilling on the surface. However, looking closer at how this deal was structured presents a different image; one where everyday investors are being handed the risk while insiders make a clean exit.

In a typical IPO, regular people get around 5-10% of shares. SpaceX reportedly set aside up to 30% for retail investors three to six times the norm. Musk framed this as giving ordinary people a rare chance to invest in a world-changing company.

But there’s a catch. At a $1.75 trillion valuation, SpaceX’s stock price already assumes everything goes right, Starlink keeps growing fast, Starship becomes a commercial success, and new ventures like xAI pay off. The company’s own filings disclose billions in ongoing losses. Insiders have known about that cash burn for years. Most retail buyers are learning about it in between breathless news headlines about a possible $5 trillion valuation.

On top of that, the shares sold to the public are Class A which carry far less voting power than the Class B shares held by Musk and a few key insiders. Retail investors are being invited to fund the company’s future while being given almost no say in how it’s run. Calling that “inclusion” is a stretch.

While retail buyers rush in, the people who were in early are rushing out at extraordinary profit.

In the year before the IPO, SpaceX ran private share sales for employees and insiders that valued the company at around $800 billion. That’s less than half the $1.75 trillion IPO price. Anyone who bought into those private sales and held to the public listing effectively doubled their money almost overnight.

Board-level relationships raise further questions. SpaceX board member Antonio Gracias runs Valor Equity Partners, which owned about 7.3% of SpaceX shares going into the IPO. At the same time, SpaceX’s xAI subsidiary has leased equipment from Valor in deals worth over $20 billion. A board member’s firm profiting from both equity stakes and commercial contracts with a related company is exactly the kind of thing that should attract scrutiny from anyone buying shares.

The IPO also appears designed to settle a web of insider deals. SpaceX’s filings describe a $60 billion acquisition of Cursor, with termination fees payable in SpaceX stock if the IPO hadn’t gone through. This was never just a fundraiser. It was a mechanism for converting years of private arrangements into public wealth quietly, and at the public’s expense.

SpaceX might be the company to lead the human race into planetary colonization. Starlink may be a real business with real growth that provides a vital service to millions around the world, but it is clear that this IPO was structured to benefit insiders first and retail investors last. The record allocation to everyday buyers is not generosity, it’s a way to absorb risk and pass it on to your average retail investor.

July 3, 2026
Beating Bottomless Budgets

Inflated company valuations and government budgets are not the only thing bogging us down in this economy; the problem has made its way through to the filmmaking industry as well, with production costs rising across genres and formats alarmingly.

The recently announced Harry Potter TV series for HBO is a reminder of the precedent studios give to bigger projects with popular fan bases, as they funnel money like there is no tomorrow. Some reports have speculated on very high per-episode budgets, though while figures remain unconfirmed, some describe it as around $100 million per episode. To put that into perspective, the original eight-film series had combined production budgets estimated at around $1 billion. Even after considering inflation and the franchise’s popularity, a single season would rival the combined cost of the eight films, and the films themselves raked in more than $7 billion at the global box office, a scale of theatrical revenue that streaming platforms cannot promise.

The global nature of content now calls for bigger budgets, and this trend now follows in the form of Amazon’s The Rings of Power, which is reported to have cost around half a billion dollars for its first season, making it one of the most expensive TV shows in history. In recent years, feature films have seen similar cost escalation. Reported and estimated budgets include Netflix’s The Electric State ($350 million), Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One (nearly $400 million), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ($300 million), and several large Marvel-related projects, like Deadpool & Wolverine (approximately $500 million). These big budgets are often a hit or a miss.

Here in India, many films find it difficult to manage the growing scale and ambition. A lack of well-planned production and operations is a major challenge, evident in the cases of Brahmastra and Adipurush, both of which exceeded their original budgets and faced audience dissatisfaction and weaker-than-expected revenue. Budgets also run deep for highly anticipated projects. Controversy aside, in the case of Don 3, Excel Entertainment reportedly incurred losses of around ₹45 crore in pre-production alone.

A contributing factor is the growing share marketing and promotion occupy in the budget, a new requirement in an increasingly cluttered content landscape. Even indie and small-budget films have their own demons, the kind produced not for high viewership but for critical acclaim. For instance, Anora which won five Academy Awards in 2025, including Best Picture, had a production budget of $6 million but reportedly spent three times that amount on marketing, distribution, and awards campaigning.

At the center of this problem are studios and streaming platforms. The booming streaming industry initially had the power to bid aggressively for content and drive up prices based on the criteria it set, helping in setting new industry standards. Today, streamers have the resources to produce like studios and create original content, the value of which is harder to determine because traditional metrics like box office revenue do not apply in the same way.

As for studios, there persist unsustainable norms around blockbusters and how their grandeur is often linked to budgets allocated for locations, VFX, and talent. There is ongoing pressure to keep juicing franchises despite diminishing returns on sequels, like the Fast & Furious Franchise, which has reached narrative saturation but production scale and action sequences continue to grow.

The days of bottle episodes feel rarer, when we were consuming exceptionally written shows that spanned multiple seasons with hour-long episodes. Now we may wait a year for 8 to 12 episodes only to have forgotten the plot or to find that the studio has canceled the show. Much of this is because it is getting harder to create memorable content and more expensive to increase engagement.

Bigger budgets should translate to bigger responsibilities and higher standards of quality. The biggest asset we have as moviegoers and subscribers is to appreciate and pay for content that caters to deeper human conditions in contrast to the kind that only feeds off elaborate visuals.

July 2, 2026
A World Cup Under Scrutiny

The latest edition of the FIFA World Cup is being watched by billions of people across the globe not only for the football being played, but also for the various controversies surrounding the entirety of the tournament, with issues plaguing the event before it has even started. The tournament this year, being hosted across three countries: the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is the second time the World Cup is being hosted across multiple nations; the last time being in 2002, hosted across South Korea and Japan. However, current geopolitical tensions and conflicts have caused a plethora of problems for FIFA, the players, and the staff involved in the tournament.

The broader political landscape has caused a lot of geopolitical clashes with countries that are participating in the World Cup. Iran had its participation under doubt due to its current relationship with the United States amidst their recent conflicts. The refusal from FIFA to relocate all matches with Iran to Mexico did not help in ensuring participation. President Trump’s comment on how it would not be “appropriate” for the Iranian national team to attend the World Cup “for their own health and safety” caused the Iranian government to call out the United States to lose its hosting rights. The Iranian players, who have recently completed a match against New Zealand, were forced to head back to their Mexico base immediately rather than being allowed to stay in the US.

There has been a string of visa and immigration issues plaguing the players, the staff, and the fans alike. The travel ban enacted by the Trump administration has affected fans from various countries and restricted official staff from entering the United States. According to the Iranian government, around 15 Iranian officials have been refused entry to the United States, and various Iraqi and Iranian players were subjected to invasive searches at the border. Visa bonds were made necessary for fans from Algeria, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Tunisia, where they were required to deposit $15,000 in order to gain a visitor visa, a requirement that was later dropped by the US government, as long as the fans had a World Cup ticket.

A case that garnered attention was that of the Somalian referee, Omar Artan, who was denied entry into the United States “due to vetting concerns”, which resulted in his denial gaining widespread media attention, resulting in him receiving a hero’s welcome back in Mogadishu. The White House has also not ruled out ICE raids during World Cup games, as the head of the White House World Cup Task Force said, “If you are a potential threat, you’re not going to get approved,” leading to speculation on possible ICE raids in the near future.

FIFA also received criticism as it introduced dynamic pricing for the first time in a World Cup, which led to the prices of the tickets surging far beyond what the average fan could afford. Tickets for the final at MetLife Stadium hit around $11,000 each, leading to criticism from US lawmakers and fan groups. FIFA has also reportedly profited from every ticket that was ever resold, with FIFA taking a 15% fee from both the seller and the buyer, with the majority of the sellers being people who have boycotted the tournament, leading FIFA to benefit from the outrage from its own controversial policies.

The newest addition to the rules has been that of “hydration breaks”, a mandatory three-minute break in each half, which were created as a respite from the growing humidity and heat that is prevalent in the United States, Mexico, and Canada around this time of the year. While this move was welcomed by some players, questions were raised about whether these hydration breaks were required in climate-controlled indoor stadiums. FIFA also used these breaks to insert more commercials and generate revenue within those three minutes. It has also raised concerns about breaking the match’s momentum, an important factor in football that is played at such a high level.

FIFA also faced difficulties in gaining broadcasters for India, as it eventually sought a $100 million bid, but received only an offer of $20 million from Disney Star, India’s largest media company. The lack of a broadcasting deal leading up to the week before the World Cup led to speculation about whether or not India would actually receive the World Cup for its audience, with concerns over the difference in time zones leading to a lack of a proper audience. However, just nine days before the World Cup, the Zee Media Group struck a last-minute $40 million deal with FIFA, finally ending the standoff over who would broadcast the World Cup in the country. However, there have been complaints from viewers about the lack of 4K in the broadcast, predatory subscription tactics, and subpar streaming quality.

This edition of the World Cup has been under tremendous media scrutiny and attention, and deservedly so, as many aspects of the handling of the World Cup have seen no transparency and a lack of accountability from both FIFA and the host country of the United States. While the games have been thrilling and entertaining, the story behind the scenes is much more filled with problems, problems that have a chance of arising and ruining the games that are being played. Fans across the globe hope that these issues will be resolved and that the World Cup will function in a smooth and civilized manner, something that is worthy of the title of the “World’s Greatest Game”.

June 29, 2026
Who Gets to be Seen?

What does it mean to be recognised? At first the answer seems simple. It means feeling seen and valued. Today recognition means a lot more than just that. For communities recognition is about being visible and having a place in public life. It is about being able to preserve their history and assert their presence onto society.

In June 2026 some states in the United States led by Republicans started celebrating months. For example, Indiana and Tennessee said June is “Nuclear Family Month” while Arkansas and Utah said it is akin to “Fidelity Month”. The people who support these festivals say they are all about family, faith, commitment and traditional values. However LGBTQ+ advocates say that having these celebrations during Pride Month makes it harder for LGBTQ+ people to be seen.

This is not just about what to call a month. It is about who gets to be part of life. The debate about Pride Month depicts the same. The people who support Nuclear Family Month and Fidelity Month say that values like family and faith should be recognised. Alternatively, the people who do not support them say that this is just a way to counter Pride Month and make LGBTQ+ people less visible. Consequently, this is not just about the month of June but about identities and values of people who associate them with that. Pride Month is about LGBTQ+ people. It is about equality and acceptance.

To understand why Pride Month is important we need to take a look at its history. It started because of the Stonewall uprising in June 1969. This was the time when people at the Stonewall Inn, in New York City stood up against a police raid that targeted people of LGBTQ+ community. This event was a notable moment in the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. The first Pride march happened this year and over time Pride Month became a staged event. Moreover, it was about celebration, remembrance and advocacy. Pride Month is a time when LGBTQ+ people are able to come together and celebrate their identities.

This incident from history helps us comprehend the importance of visibility, and how LGBTQ+ people’s recognition is not about celebration but being acknowledged by the society and its people where they have often been treated unfairly over time. When people are not represented correctly they can feel alone and unseen. Research has shown that social support and visibility brings fulfillment. The Trevor Project found out that LGBTQ+ people who have support from family are less likely to attempt suicide. While visibility is not enough to fix all the problems, it makes sure that recognition helps in creating an environment where people can be supported and accepted.

The other June observances caused reactions. LGBTQ+ advocates say that visibility shows whether politicians and institutions care about their communities or otherwise. Josh Coleman, the president of Central Alabama Pride says that LGBTQ+ people notice when politicians do not acknowledge their lives and histories. For the people who support Pride Month visibility is not just symbolic but it is a way to show that they are included in life. Recognition is about being part of life.

The people who support such proclamations have views. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders says that Fidelity Month is a chance to renew commitments to God, family, community and country. Indiana Governor Mike Braun states that the nuclear family is part of the society. From this perspective the observances recognise values that support stability and civic life. These values are of utmost importance to people.

All these views show why recognition can be debatable. Public recognition is not about what is being honoured but about what societies choose to prioritise. When governments make proclamations they send signals about which histories, communities and values are essential key factors. This is why recognition can cause disagreements even when people are advocating for important things. Recognition does not have to be a competition. Some LGBTQ+ advocates express that values like family, faith and Pride are not mutually exclusive. LGBTQ+ people can value family and faith like anyone else. This means that identities and values can coexist together, rather than competing for recognition.

In the end the debates about June 2026 show us something about culture. Recognition is not about naming a month or choosing one. It shapes visibility, belonging and experiences that are being acknowledged in life. The fight over Pride Month and alternative observances illustrates that recognition matters. It helps us determine who feels visible, valued and included in the story a society tells about itself. Pride Month and the alternatives observances are about values. These values do not have to be in opposition to each other. They can both be part of the story a society tells about itself.

Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons

June 26, 2026
The Virus That Will Not Go Away: DRC’s Outbreak of Ebola

On 5 May 2026, World Health Organization (WHO) received reports of an outbreak of an unknown disease in Mongbwalu Health Zone, Ituri Province, in the Democratic republic of Congo causing high mortality, including among health workers. These patients showed symptoms common in Ebola viruses. Ten days later on 15 May scientists at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in Kinshasa confirmed that 13 blood samples were positive for Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD).

Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease is a very rare and severe variant of Ebola virus disease, also known as viral haemorrhagic fever. It is a zoonotic disease ,with fruit bats suspected to be the natural reservoir. Human infection is attributed to direct exposure to blood or other body fluids from infected wild animals (such as bats or non-human primates) and then to direct contact with the blood, other body fluids, organs or contaminated surfaces or items from infected humans. A vaccine or specific therapeutics for Bundibugyo virus is not available. The Virus therefore presents a significant threat to the potential widespread international spread.

In response to the outbreak, the DRC Ministry of Public Health declared an Ebola outbreak on May 15. By the next day there were confirmed cases of BVD in Kampala, the capital of neighboring country Uganda. They were attributed to travel from the Congo into Uganda. On May 17, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The highest alert given by WHO, it seeks coordinated international funding and response mechanisms.

As of June 17 the DRC’s total number of confirmed cases was 837 and the total number of confirmed deaths was 196, with sixteen health workers confirmed infected. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) reported that the health care workers in DRC were reporting shortages in PPE and testing kits leading to high points of exposure to the disease.

There are a number of problems that are slowing down the response to the outbreak. In eastern DRC conflict amongst various militant and ethnic groups is an obstacle in providing medical care. Large amounts of the population in disease stricken regions such as Ituri are displaced. Estimates put the number of displaced populations at over 990,000.

Out of a $319 million response budget, $2,87 million still remains unsecured. With the cutting of USAID by the Trump administration and the exit of the United States from the WHO, raising funding still remains to be a big issue in combating the epidemic.

There have also been multiple instances of people not cooperating with health workers and clashing with police and authorities over the deceased bodies of family members. Multiple suspected Ebola patients have run away from their medical centers where they were kept for observation.

Eastern DRC borders 9 countries and is a crossroads of trade, mining and industry. The region also has frequent movement of refugees due to various conflicts leading to a high risk of transmission that might affect trade and commerce around the world. Unlike Mongbwalu , Kampala is a capital city. The international airport in Kampala has routes to other parts of Africa along with several intercontinental destinations. Transmission could soon leave Africa and trouble the rest of the world.

The DRC has successfully contained Ebola outbreaks before. There are numerous international organizations and institutions set in place to fight back against the virus. At the forefront of response is the development of a vaccine. The coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has announced funding to fast track 3 vaccine candidates that can counter BVD. The vaccines are being developed by IAVI, Moderna and the University of Oxford. According to health officials the outbreak needs to be fought on a global level with various nations providing financial, logistical and medical support. The next few months are critical in the fight against the outbreak and is a test of not only DRC’s medical safeguards but the world’s.

Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons

June 26, 2026