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<p>A near-extinct animal was spotted near the Giant Sequoia National Monument in southern California for the first time in over 100 years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Michelle Harris spotted a big, grey canine crossing a fire road in the area in early July, the LA Times reported. "It tilted its head back and let out a decent howl," said Harris. "All I could think was, 'It doesn't look like a coyote, but it has to be, right?'" she added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Later, the analysis of the tracks, hair, and faeces left behind by the animal verified that it was a female grey wolf. She was the leader of what researchers named 'the Tulare Pack.' Research showed that she came with her offspring, two male and two female.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Furthermore, the DNA analysis revealed that they are direct descendants of the wolf OR-7, who became the first wolf to visit California in 90 years in 2011. He was the seventh wolf radio-collared in Oregon. His GPS collar transmitted location information to satellites daily until 2014, when it stopped functioning because the batteries expired.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-to-unveil-fascinating-bennu-asteroid-sample-to-the-public-645380" target="_blank">NASA unveils sample from asteroid Bennu, says it contains abundant water and carbon</a></p>

<p>Environmentalists were excited about the grey wolf's appearance near the national monument. They also requested the US Forest Service to pause logging projects in the area until they could assess their impact on the endangered species.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, not everyone enjoyed the news of the grey wolf's spotting. While logging companies resisted putting their projects on halt, livestock owners worried their animals could become food for these large predators.</p>

<p>The same fear prompted the original project to eliminate wolves across the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, removing these apex predators severely impacted the environment as the deer and elk populations suddenly surged in the country.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-find-spinning-supermassive-black-hole-in-distant-galaxy-after-20-years-of-research-645158" target="_blank">A spinning supermassive black hole found in a distant galaxy reinforces one of Einstein's theories</a></p>

<p>The absence of wolves has impacted the entire ecosystem and landscape in the Yellowstone National Park. Restoring these rare canines can bring incredible balance.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The farmers and ranchers have little fear as California has a system to reimburse the owners of livestock killed by wolves, the LA Times reported.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, Harris believed that while the humans were adjusting to the new pack, the wolves might have moved on as she hadn't noticed any fresh evidence since July. "There's been a lot more activity in the area since then. Maybe they've moved to a quieter place with room to roam," she said.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>


A near-extinct animal was spotted near the Giant Sequoia National Monument in southern California for the first time in over 100 years. Michelle Harris spotted a big, grey canine crossing a fire road in the area in early July, the LA Times reported.

A near-extinct animal was spotted near the Giant Sequoia National Monument in southern California for the first time in over 100 years. Michelle Harris spotted a big, grey canine crossing a fire road in the area in early July, the LA Times reported. "It tilted its head back and let out a decent howl," said Harris. "All I could think was, 'It doesn't look like a coyote, but it has to be, right?'" she added. Later, the analysis of the tracks, hair, and faeces left behind by the animal verified that it was a female grey wolf. She was the leader of what researchers named 'the Tulare Pack.' Research showed that she came with her offspring, two male and two female. Furthermore, the DNA analysis revealed that they are direct descendants of the wolf OR-7, who became the first wolf to visit California in 90 years in 2011. He was the seventh wolf radio-collared in Oregon. His GPS collar transmitted location information to satellites daily until 2014, when it stopped functioning because the batteries expired. ALSO READ | NASA unveils sample from asteroid Bennu, says it contains abundant water and carbon Environmentalists were excited about the grey wolf's appearance near the national monument. They also requested the US Forest Service to pause logging projects in the area until they could assess their impact on the endangered species. However, not everyone enjoyed the news of the grey wolf's spotting. While logging companies resisted putting their projects on halt, livestock owners worried their animals could become food for these large predators. The same fear prompted the original project to eliminate wolves across the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, removing these apex predators severely impacted the environment as the deer and elk populations suddenly surged in the country. ALSO READ | A spinning supermassive black hole found in a distant galaxy reinforces one of Einstein's theories The absence of wolves has impacted the entire ecosystem and landscape in the Yellowstone National Park. Restoring these rare canines can bring incredible balance. The farmers and ranchers have little fear as California has a system to reimburse the owners of livestock killed by wolves, the LA Times reported. However, Harris believed that while the humans were adjusting to the new pack, the wolves might have moved on as she hadn't noticed any fresh evidence since July. "There's been a lot more activity in the area since then. Maybe they've moved to a quieter place with room to roam," she said. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

US: Elusive creature on the brink of extinction spotted for the first time in 100 years

You have a golden chance to grab your favourite hollywood items over a century's worth. Hollywood memorabilia will be going under the table from April 22nd. The name is 'Hollywood Classic and Contemporary'. For further details, watch the video.

Grand Hollywood auction on celebrating 100 years of pop culture

<p class="MsoNormal">A little before the 100th birthday of China’s ruling Communist Party, banners and billboards have started popping out around the country, demanding ‘civilised’ behaviour from residents.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal">With slogans such as "Listen to the party, appreciate the party, follow the party", several large-sized billboards have been put up along the roadside all around the country.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-apps-could-face-subpoenas-or-bans-under-biden-order-report-392294">Chinese apps could face subpoenas or bans under Biden order: Report</a></strong></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">These billboards have a huge "100" written in red and show the Communist Party’s sign, hammer and sickle, and hang on busy roads and near the main retail stores.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal">The government is going out of its way to make sure that when the party with more than 91 million members starts celebrations for its 100th birthday, there is no hiccup or ‘disobedience’ from the residents.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/explainer-why-apple-daily-is-being-raided-in-hong-kong-392207">Explainer: Why Apple Daily is being raided in Hong Kong</a></strong></p>

<p class="MsoNormal">"Build a civilised image everywhere, let's all be civilised citizens," a banner reads. Other billboards encourage locals to “learn the Lei Feng spirit” with a picture of Lei Feng, one of China’s most famous and 'ideal' soldiers,&nbsp;plastered over the billboard.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal">In places where billboards were failing to catch attention, the Communist Party has installed large digital screens that broadcast a bright red theme with continuous images of troops of the People’s Liberation Army in their helmets and bayonets. This imagery goes with a text that reads, "Raise a new generation of spirited, capable, courageous and morally upright revolutionary soldiers".</p>

<p class="MsoNormal">The party has not just stopped at billboard and digital screens.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal">A movie will also be released next month that will concentrate on the party’s foundation, and to make sure it is a huge success, the authorities have managed to rope in the big names of the Chinese entertainment industry.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


A little before the 100th birthday of China’s ruling Communist Party, banners and billboards have started popping out around the country, demanding ‘civilised’ behaviour from residents.

A little before the 100th birthday of China’s ruling Communist Party, banners and billboards have started popping out around the country, demanding ‘civilised’ behaviour from residents. With slogans such as "Listen to the party, appreciate the party, follow the party", several large-sized billboards have been put up along the roadside all around the country. Also read | Chinese apps could face subpoenas or bans under Biden order: Report These billboards have a huge "100" written in red and show the Communist Party’s sign, hammer and sickle, and hang on busy roads and near the main retail stores. The government is going out of its way to make sure that when the party with more than 91 million members starts celebrations for its 100th birthday, there is no hiccup or ‘disobedience’ from the residents. Also read | Explainer: Why Apple Daily is being raided in Hong Kong "Build a civilised image everywhere, let's all be civilised citizens," a banner reads. Other billboards encourage locals to “learn the Lei Feng spirit” with a picture of Lei Feng, one of China’s most famous and 'ideal' soldiers, plastered over the billboard. In places where billboards were failing to catch attention, the Communist Party has installed large digital screens that broadcast a bright red theme with continuous images of troops of the People’s Liberation Army in their helmets and bayonets. This imagery goes with a text that reads, "Raise a new generation of spirited, capable, courageous and morally upright revolutionary soldiers". The party has not just stopped at billboard and digital screens. A movie will also be released next month that will concentrate on the party’s foundation, and to make sure it is a huge success, the authorities have managed to rope in the big names of the Chinese entertainment industry. (With inputs from agencies)

China installs billboards ordering citizens to 'behave' during centenary celebrations of Communist party

<p>At the foot of modern buildings on an anonymous street, a few discreet metal plaques catch the eye.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Grier shoemaker," "Earl real estate", riveted to the ground, they bear the names of Black-owned businesses that once stood there before being destroyed during one of the worst racial massacres in the United States, in 1921.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A rare vestige of a neighborhood so prosperous it was called Black Wall Street, the plaques prove that the history of Greenwood, a historically Black neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is understood not by the monuments that currently stand, but the ones that are no longer there.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On the eve of a visit from President Joe Biden, popular with African-American voters, who will attend Tuesday's commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the massacre, and after a year marked by the Black Lives Matter movement, the killings resonate with current events more than ever.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"They came over and destroyed Greenwood and burned everything down," Bobby Eaton, 86, a neighborhood resident and former civil rights activist, told AFP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A century ago, in the southern US town, the arrest of a young Black man accused of assaulting a white woman sparked one of the worst outpourings of racial violence ever seen in the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On May 31, 1921, after the arrest of Dick Rowland, hundreds of furious white people gathered outside the Tulsa courthouse, signalling to Black residents that a lynching, a common practice at the time and until as recently as the 1960s, was imminent.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A group of African-American World War I veterans, some of them armed, mobilised in an attempt to protect Rowland.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Tensions spiked and shots were fired. Fewer in number, the African-American residents retreated to Greenwood, known at the time for its economic prosperity and many businesses.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The next day, at dawn, white men looted and burned the buildings, chasing down and beating Black people living there. All day long, they ransacked Black Wall Street -- police not only did not intervene but joined in the destruction -- until nothing was left but ruins and ashes, killing up to 300 people in the process. The destruction left some 10,000 people homeless.&nbsp;</p>

<p>With a blue cap on his head and a T-shirt commemorating the massacre's centennial pulled over his shirt, Eaton feels marked by this event that he never saw but heard so much about as a child in his father's barber shop.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I learned a lot about the riots as a very young person, that has never left my memory," he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In his opinion, as with many others in the neighborhood, it was the African-American prosperity that sparked the destruction. "That caused a great amount of jealousy, and it's still doing so.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"That mentality that destroyed Greenwood to begin with, to a great extent still exists right here in Tulsa," Eaton said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Even 100 years after the massacre, racial tensions remain high.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the Black Wall Street Liquid Lounge, a coffee shop named, like many businesses in Greenwood, in homage to the neighborhood's golden age, Kode Ransom, a 32-year-old African-American man, sports long dreadlocks and a big smile as he greets customers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A happy co-manager of the business, he has one regret: not owning the walls around him.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"People hear 'Black Wall Street,' they think that it's completely controlled by Black people. It's actually not," he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ransom estimates that about 20 African-American-owned businesses exist in Greenwood, and they all pay rent.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We don't own the land," he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>An urban planning policy, called urban renewal, carried out by the Tulsa city council since the 1960s, has had the effect of driving out African-American owners whose houses or businesses, deemed dilapidated, were demolished to make way for new buildings.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The construction of a seven-lane highway through the middle of the main street finished disfiguring the neighborhood.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"At the time when Greenwood was Greenwood, you had 40 blocks, and now it's all being condensed down to half of a street... and even on that half of a street it's still not really just Black Wall Street," said Ransom, sighing.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A few meters from the cafe, in the Greenwood Art Gallery, manager Queen Alexander, 31, arranges the exhibited paintings, which celebrate African-American culture.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She also pays rent -- and it's about to go up by 30 per cent. The opening of a large museum dedicated to the neighborhood's history, the Greenwood Rising History Center, which will officially open on Wednesday, has caused rent for the surrounding businesses to increase.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One of her acquaintances, who had run a beauty salon in Greenwood for more than 40 years, was evicted. "She couldn't afford the rent," said Alexander.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Outside the bay windows of her gallery, Alexander observes the gentrification at work.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"You do see now white people walking their dogs, and riding their bikes, in neighborhoods that you would never have seen them before," she said, noting the opening of a baseball field, a Starbucks and "a college that I probably couldn't afford.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For her, Greenwood without its African-American owners and historic buildings is no longer really Black Wall Street but "Greenwood district with some Black business leases."&nbsp;</p>

<p>And "if we all get evicted tomorrow, this is white Wall Street."&nbsp;</p>


At the foot of modern buildings on an anonymous street, a few discreet metal plaques catch the eye. "Grier shoemaker," "Earl real estate", riveted to the ground, they bear the names of Black-owned businesses that once stood there before being destroyed during one of the worst racial massacres in the United States, in 1921.

At the foot of modern buildings on an anonymous street, a few discreet metal plaques catch the eye. "Grier shoemaker," "Earl real estate", riveted to the ground, they bear the names of Black-owned businesses that once stood there before being destroyed during one of the worst racial massacres in the United States, in 1921. A rare vestige of a neighborhood so prosperous it was called Black Wall Street, the plaques prove that the history of Greenwood, a historically Black neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is understood not by the monuments that currently stand, but the ones that are no longer there. On the eve of a visit from President Joe Biden, popular with African-American voters, who will attend Tuesday's commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the massacre, and after a year marked by the Black Lives Matter movement, the killings resonate with current events more than ever. "They came over and destroyed Greenwood and burned everything down," Bobby Eaton, 86, a neighborhood resident and former civil rights activist, told AFP. A century ago, in the southern US town, the arrest of a young Black man accused of assaulting a white woman sparked one of the worst outpourings of racial violence ever seen in the country. On May 31, 1921, after the arrest of Dick Rowland, hundreds of furious white people gathered outside the Tulsa courthouse, signalling to Black residents that a lynching, a common practice at the time and until as recently as the 1960s, was imminent. A group of African-American World War I veterans, some of them armed, mobilised in an attempt to protect Rowland. Tensions spiked and shots were fired. Fewer in number, the African-American residents retreated to Greenwood, known at the time for its economic prosperity and many businesses. The next day, at dawn, white men looted and burned the buildings, chasing down and beating Black people living there. All day long, they ransacked Black Wall Street -- police not only did not intervene but joined in the destruction -- until nothing was left but ruins and ashes, killing up to 300 people in the process. The destruction left some 10,000 people homeless. With a blue cap on his head and a T-shirt commemorating the massacre's centennial pulled over his shirt, Eaton feels marked by this event that he never saw but heard so much about as a child in his father's barber shop. "I learned a lot about the riots as a very young person, that has never left my memory," he said. In his opinion, as with many others in the neighborhood, it was the African-American prosperity that sparked the destruction. "That caused a great amount of jealousy, and it's still doing so. "That mentality that destroyed Greenwood to begin with, to a great extent still exists right here in Tulsa," Eaton said. Even 100 years after the massacre, racial tensions remain high. In the Black Wall Street Liquid Lounge, a coffee shop named, like many businesses in Greenwood, in homage to the neighborhood's golden age, Kode Ransom, a 32-year-old African-American man, sports long dreadlocks and a big smile as he greets customers. A happy co-manager of the business, he has one regret: not owning the walls around him. "People hear 'Black Wall Street,' they think that it's completely controlled by Black people. It's actually not," he said. Ransom estimates that about 20 African-American-owned businesses exist in Greenwood, and they all pay rent. "We don't own the land," he said. An urban planning policy, called urban renewal, carried out by the Tulsa city council since the 1960s, has had the effect of driving out African-American owners whose houses or businesses, deemed dilapidated, were demolished to make way for new buildings. The construction of a seven-lane highway through the middle of the main street finished disfiguring the neighborhood. "At the time when Greenwood was Greenwood, you had 40 blocks, and now it's all being condensed down to half of a street... and even on that half of a street it's still not really just Black Wall Street," said Ransom, sighing. A few meters from the cafe, in the Greenwood Art Gallery, manager Queen Alexander, 31, arranges the exhibited paintings, which celebrate African-American culture. She also pays rent -- and it's about to go up by 30 per cent. The opening of a large museum dedicated to the neighborhood's history, the Greenwood Rising History Center, which will officially open on Wednesday, has caused rent for the surrounding businesses to increase. One of her acquaintances, who had run a beauty salon in Greenwood for more than 40 years, was evicted. "She couldn't afford the rent," said Alexander. Outside the bay windows of her gallery, Alexander observes the gentrification at work. "You do see now white people walking their dogs, and riding their bikes, in neighborhoods that you would never have seen them before," she said, noting the opening of a baseball field, a Starbucks and "a college that I probably couldn't afford. For her, Greenwood without its African-American owners and historic buildings is no longer really Black Wall Street but "Greenwood district with some Black business leases." And "if we all get evicted tomorrow, this is white Wall Street."

100 years after Tulsa race massacre, African Americans still feel outcast 

<p>More than half of wealthy investors around the world expect to live to the age of 100, with almost two in three planning to work longer in life to afford a comfortable retirement, according to a survey on Thursday.</p>

<p>The UBS Investor Watch, which tracks the sentiments of more than 5,000 people with at least $1 million in assets, showed nine out of 10 were adjusting spending habits and making long-term investments to finance their longevity.</p>

<p>But around one-in-four respondents based in the United States and Britain said they were not making any such financial changes, highlighting a shortfall in retirement planning in two of the world's most important economies as life expectancy rises, especially among the rich.</p>

<p>"The idea of living to 100 would have seemed absurd up until recently. Now, it's destined to become commonplace," Nick Tucker, Head of UK Domestic at UBS Wealth Management, said.</p>

<p>Tucker said prospective centenarians needed to plan for a 30 or 40-year retirement. That meant making and protecting wealth across all market cycles during that time, and deciding how to share their money more effectively with descendants.</p>

<p>The prospect of living longer and passing a smaller legacy to successors worried 35 percent of respondents, UBS said, while 62 percent said they were planning to give away more of their wealth while alive.</p>

<p>"By the time you pass away, your children are likely to be in their 40s, 50s or 60s. Wealth might not be as useful at this point as when they were younger. That's a key reason why we're seeing inheritance being shared earlier, or being given to grandchildren instead of children," Tucker said.</p>


The prospect of living longer and passing a smaller legacy to successors worried 35 percent of respondents

More than half of wealthy investors around the world expect to live to the age of 100, with almost two in three planning to work longer in life to afford a comfortable retirement, according to a survey on Thursday. The UBS Investor Watch, which tracks the sentiments of more than 5,000 people with at least $1 million in assets, showed nine out of 10 were adjusting spending habits and making long-term investments to finance their longevity. But around one-in-four respondents based in the United States and Britain said they were not making any such financial changes, highlighting a shortfall in retirement planning in two of the world's most important economies as life expectancy rises, especially among the rich. "The idea of living to 100 would have seemed absurd up until recently. Now, it's destined to become commonplace," Nick Tucker, Head of UK Domestic at UBS Wealth Management, said. Tucker said prospective centenarians needed to plan for a 30 or 40-year retirement. That meant making and protecting wealth across all market cycles during that time, and deciding how to share their money more effectively with descendants. The prospect of living longer and passing a smaller legacy to successors worried 35 percent of respondents, UBS said, while 62 percent said they were planning to give away more of their wealth while alive. "By the time you pass away, your children are likely to be in their 40s, 50s or 60s. Wealth might not be as useful at this point as when they were younger. That's a key reason why we're seeing inheritance being shared earlier, or being given to grandchildren instead of children," Tucker said.

More than half of world's wealthy may live up to 100 years: Survey

<p>Several leaders including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi,&nbsp;former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to India&#39;s first and only female Prime Minister&nbsp;Indira Gandhi on her 100th birth anniversary on Sunday.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Tributes to former PM Mrs. Indira Gandhi on her birth anniversary.</p>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/932059203132411905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Indira Gandhi, who was born on&nbsp;November 19, 1917, was assassinated by her own bodyguard&nbsp;in October 1984.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I remember you Dadi with so much love and happiness. You are my mentor and guide. You give me strength. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Indira100?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Indira100</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/932101627510534145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Known as the &#39;Iron Lady&#39;, Gandhi was&nbsp;India&rsquo;s most powerful prime minister.</p>

<p>Over 200 archived images from&nbsp;Indira Gandhi&#39;s life will be available for public viewing at the&nbsp;Indira Gandhi&nbsp;Memorial Trust from November 21.&nbsp;Titled &#39;Indira: A Life of Courage&#39;, the exclusive photographic exhibition will be inaugurated on November 19 to commemorate the birth centenary of former the former prime minister.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Delhi: Former PM Manmohan Singh and Congress VP Rahul Gandhi pay tribute to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiraGandhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiraGandhi</a> on her birth anniversary <a href="https://t.co/Gncpb2CJoa">pic.twitter.com/Gncpb2CJoa</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/932084170951606272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">&quot;I don&#39;t mind if my life goes in the service of the nation - If I die..every drop of my blood will invigorate the nation&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Indira100?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Indira100</a> <a href="https://t.co/hYqEI22aUU">pic.twitter.com/hYqEI22aUU</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@0ffice0ffRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/0ffice0ffRG/status/932085858454212608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Indira Gandhi, who was born on?November 19, 1917, was assassinated by her own bodyguard?in October 1984

Several leaders including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to India's first and only female Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 100th birth anniversary on Sunday. Tributes to former PM Mrs. Indira Gandhi on her birth anniversary. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 19, 2017 × Indira Gandhi, who was born on November 19, 1917, was assassinated by her own bodyguard in October 1984. I remember you Dadi with so much love and happiness. You are my mentor and guide. You give me strength. #Indira100 — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) November 19, 2017 × Known as the 'Iron Lady', Gandhi was India’s most powerful prime minister. Over 200 archived images from Indira Gandhi's life will be available for public viewing at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust from November 21. Titled 'Indira: A Life of Courage', the exclusive photographic exhibition will be inaugurated on November 19 to commemorate the birth centenary of former the former prime minister. Delhi: Former PM Manmohan Singh and Congress VP Rahul Gandhi pay tribute to #IndiraGandhi on her birth anniversary pic.twitter.com/Gncpb2CJoa — ANI (@ANI) November 19, 2017 × "I don't mind if my life goes in the service of the nation - If I die..every drop of my blood will invigorate the nation" #Indira100 pic.twitter.com/hYqEI22aUU — Office of RG (@0ffice0ffRG) November 19, 2017 ×

Indira Gandhi remembered on her 100th birth anniversary

<p>Like many other universities in Istanbul, Sabanci University (where I teach) also admits a sizable proportion of students who come from various erstwhile republics of the Soviet Union. Most of these students read, speak and write in fluent Turkish. Since several of these post-Soviet states were once ruled by the Ottoman Empire, the students are expected to have a certain degree of familiarity with the Turkish culture. Additionally, as an academic requirement, at least, the undergraduate students have to go through some basic training in the Turkish language. Yet, almost every Azeri, Georgian or Moldovan student whom I taught has told me that this fluency in the Turkish language has nothing to do with either historical advantage or academic necessity.</p>

<p>Instead, there are economic reasons which force them to spend substantial effort and time in mastering a foreign language. Not learning Turkish has a huge opportunity cost for them, since without a good knowledge of Turkish it is almost impossible for an undergraduate student to get a job in Istanbul. And although Sabanci University has quite a reputation in the Caucasus or in Eastern Europe, the brand value is still not that high which may help the students in fetching jobs in the EU.</p>

<p>Naturally, one may wonder why going back to their homelands is not an option after all. Is it the economic aspiration? Every year millions of young and bright minds across the emerging economies are emigrating to the developed economies - are their stories much different from the stories of these students of the post-soviet states?</p>

<p>Simple anecdotes suggest that the stories are indeed different. And then as we look at the facts and the figures, a much bigger tragedy unravels.</p>

<p>None of my Moldovan students wants to be an academic.</p>

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<h5>Moldovans took to the streets to raise their voices against massive corruption, protests broke out in Azerbaijan demanding an end to the government-backed oligarchy.</h5>
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<p>On average they are intelligent, hardworking and sincere, and they certainly have high regards for their professors. Yet, they have an almost inseparable resentment towards the education sector. A 2011 study conducted by Transparency International shows that in Moldova, the education sector is as corrupt as police or judiciary. School teachers who cannot supplement their meagre income with subsistence farming or extra payments from the parents of their students (in kind, typically with food or labor) openly ask for a price for the passing grade. Many of the academic institutions are also engaged in the business of fraudulent degree-granting, so much so that the in 2012 alone twenty-two heads of the higher academic institutions were legally prosecuted in the court.</p>

<p>While Moldovans took to the streets to raise their voices against massive corruption, protests broke out in Azerbaijan demanding an end to the government-backed oligarchy. In fact, most of the Azeri Oligarchs are directly in control of the provincial and federal governments. As oligarchy still reigns supreme in the country, young Azeris, such as my students from Sabanci University will rarely get a chance to be successful entrepreneurs. Last year when the global oil price went into a nosedive, the currency of Azerbaijan almost collapsed. As a result, the grip of the Azeri oligarchs tightened even more.</p>

<p>Oligarchy is a major problem in Georgia too. As a few elite businesspeople control bulk of the national wealth, the country suffers from severe economic anxiety. Almost half of the entire population of Georgia face either unemployment or long-term underemployment. World Bank data from 2013 suggests that the income inequality in Georgia is the worst among all the post-Soviet states.</p>

<p>During a recent trip to Georgia, I met locals who still believe that Georgia had its heyday under Stalin&rsquo;s regime. Stalin, in spite of being a Georgian, considered Russia as the &lsquo;first among equals&rsquo; and didn&rsquo;t make any special provision for his homeland. Georgia with a largely agrarian economy still performed better than the other republics during the Soviet time.</p>

<p>Such sentiments, however, are not exclusive to the Georgians. Over the years, I personally met many people from the &lsquo;Stans&rsquo; of Central Asia, and even from the Eastern bloc who largely believed that the quality of life was much better during the Soviet era. Uzbek chef, Romanian taxi driver, Bulgarian tourist, people with very different personalities and somewhat different worldviews rooted for a foregone dream which was conceived a hundred years ago.&nbsp;<br />
Or was the dream conceived after all?</p>

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<h5>A hundred years after the Bolshevik revolution the post-soviet states suffer from the familiar woes which plagued these countries even in the beginning of the twentieth century.</h5>
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<p>A hundred years after the Bolshevik revolution the post-soviet states suffer from the familiar woes which plagued these countries even in the beginning of the twentieth century. A few corrupt elites are still in control of the national wealth, millions of working-class proletariats are even now struggling for survival, and the autocratic governments are still in the power. Yet, another Bolshevik revolution seems like a remote possibility, if not impossible at all. Despite the same institutional flaws and structural economic problems, the political aspirations of the current generations cannot be different anymore. Some historical perspectives may help us to understand this puzzle.</p>

<p>To start with, almost all of these countries were invaded by the Russian red army. The underlying intentions of Russia were not very different from that of the other contemporary European colonial powers. After Azerbaijan was incorporated in the Soviet Republic, Lenin wrote &ldquo;we all know that our industries stood idle because of the lack of fuel. However, today, the proletariat of Baku has toppled the Azerbaijani government and is in charge of running the government. This means that now we own a basic economy that is capable of supporting our industries&rsquo;&rsquo;.</p>

<p>Instead of a proletariat revolution what actually happened in Azerbaijan was a direct conflict between the Russian red army and the Azerbaijani military; several thousands of Azeri soldiers died on the battlefields. The Caspian oil fields were too important to lose, and Lenin underscored that fact many a time. The other republics also have similar histories. Some memories of the revolution are certainly painful, bringing back the buried emotions.</p>

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<h5>The Soviet ideologists assumed the existence of new Soviet men who would lose any nationalist sentiment and adhere to communist intellectualism.</h5>
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<p>Emotions are easily triggered when there is a deprivation of liberty. Many of the first generation Homo Sovieticus was forcefully converted to a new anti-religion. The Soviet ideologists assumed the existence of new Soviet men who would lose any nationalist sentiment and adhere to communist intellectualism. In retrospect, it seems that the ideology was more of a theoretical possibility, and that too was a flawed one. The high-handedness of Soviet intellectuals ignored a thousand years of nonlinear history. As a result, most of the post-Soviet republics are now dogmatically religious.</p>

<p>If a Rip Van Winkle from one of these countries suddenly wakes up after a hundred years, he may find that the religious presuppositions have not been changed after all. Nationalist sentiments too, instead of being extinct, are at an all-time high. In fact right after the collapse of the Soviet Union, as soon as the new republics were established violent ethnic conflicts broke out. So, what legacy did the new Soviet men leave for their future generations?</p>

<p>In her noteworthy book &lsquo;Secondhand time: the last of the Soviets&rsquo;, Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich has chronicled and examined some of the failed legacies of USSR. An ex-employee of a Soviet archive tells her &ldquo;Paper lies more than people do&rdquo;; a lady from Abkhazia laments &ldquo;We took the bus together, went to the same school, learned the same language&hellip; (and then war broke out) suddenly they were all killing each other. Neighbor killing neighbor, classmates killing classmates, brother killing sisters&rdquo;; a soldier confesses &ldquo;A soldier&rsquo;s not a person. He&rsquo;s an object&hellip;a tool&hellip;a killing machine&hellip;I wanted to kill myself about five times&rdquo;.</p>

<p>Svetlana&rsquo;s subjects might be strangers to us, but once they start narrating their stories it would be impossible to not be overwhelmed with emotions. In pages after pages, they describe how the leaders betrayed a once in a lifetime ideology, how the authorities showed a complete lack of compassion for the fellow human beings, how deception became the self-fulfilling tool to justify every wrong policy action.</p>

<p>But more than anything else, it seems that there was a tremendous disregard for the past which made the leaders believe in quick fixes for every sociopolitical trouble that emerged within the territories of USSR but outside the territories of Russia. And this too had a long legacy.</p>

<p>When the first congress of the people of the East took place in Baku in 1920, Lenin advised the communists of &lsquo;backward&rsquo; Asia to forge alliances with bourgeois nationalists, a policy which would have never even been proposed in Russia. One of the first leaders to oppose such idea was the Indian revolutionary Manabendra Nath Roy, who had a strong suspicion that the bourgeois nationalists would have a rather close connection with the feudal order of the Asian republics. Manabendra Nath was indeed a visionary, Lenin&rsquo;s preferred course of alliances with the bourgeois nationalists took its toll.</p>

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<h5>Capitalism in its current form cannot alleviate the problems of the post-Soviet states, but a possible reincarnation of the tried and tested socialist failures make the younger generations more worried.</h5>
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<p>The socialist movement in the Caucasian and Asian republics of USSR went haywire, and as soon as the command and control economy had collapsed the old feudal order, now known as Oligarchs, took over the control of the post-Soviet states.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Capitalism in its current form cannot alleviate the problems of the post-Soviet states, but a possible reincarnation of the tried and tested socialist failures make the younger generations more worried. The post-Soviet states are now in dire need of their own maverick thinkers who can perhaps establish a new economic order. Since an awfully long lull is still in effect, I hope the storm is not that far away.</p>


The post-Soviet states are now in dire need to establish a new economic order

Like many other universities in Istanbul, Sabanci University (where I teach) also admits a sizable proportion of students who come from various erstwhile republics of the Soviet Union. Most of these students read, speak and write in fluent Turkish. Since several of these post-Soviet states were once ruled by the Ottoman Empire, the students are expected to have a certain degree of familiarity with the Turkish culture. Additionally, as an academic requirement, at least, the undergraduate students have to go through some basic training in the Turkish language. Yet, almost every Azeri, Georgian or Moldovan student whom I taught has told me that this fluency in the Turkish language has nothing to do with either historical advantage or academic necessity. Instead, there are economic reasons which force them to spend substantial effort and time in mastering a foreign language. Not learning Turkish has a huge opportunity cost for them, since without a good knowledge of Turkish it is almost impossible for an undergraduate student to get a job in Istanbul. And although Sabanci University has quite a reputation in the Caucasus or in Eastern Europe, the brand value is still not that high which may help the students in fetching jobs in the EU. Naturally, one may wonder why going back to their homelands is not an option after all. Is it the economic aspiration? Every year millions of young and bright minds across the emerging economies are emigrating to the developed economies - are their stories much different from the stories of these students of the post-soviet states? Simple anecdotes suggest that the stories are indeed different. And then as we look at the facts and the figures, a much bigger tragedy unravels. None of my Moldovan students wants to be an academic. Moldovans took to the streets to raise their voices against massive corruption, protests broke out in Azerbaijan demanding an end to the government-backed oligarchy. × On average they are intelligent, hardworking and sincere, and they certainly have high regards for their professors. Yet, they have an almost inseparable resentment towards the education sector. A 2011 study conducted by Transparency International shows that in Moldova, the education sector is as corrupt as police or judiciary. School teachers who cannot supplement their meagre income with subsistence farming or extra payments from the parents of their students (in kind, typically with food or labor) openly ask for a price for the passing grade. Many of the academic institutions are also engaged in the business of fraudulent degree-granting, so much so that the in 2012 alone twenty-two heads of the higher academic institutions were legally prosecuted in the court. While Moldovans took to the streets to raise their voices against massive corruption, protests broke out in Azerbaijan demanding an end to the government-backed oligarchy. In fact, most of the Azeri Oligarchs are directly in control of the provincial and federal governments. As oligarchy still reigns supreme in the country, young Azeris, such as my students from Sabanci University will rarely get a chance to be successful entrepreneurs. Last year when the global oil price went into a nosedive, the currency of Azerbaijan almost collapsed. As a result, the grip of the Azeri oligarchs tightened even more. Oligarchy is a major problem in Georgia too. As a few elite businesspeople control bulk of the national wealth, the country suffers from severe economic anxiety. Almost half of the entire population of Georgia face either unemployment or long-term underemployment. World Bank data from 2013 suggests that the income inequality in Georgia is the worst among all the post-Soviet states. During a recent trip to Georgia, I met locals who still believe that Georgia had its heyday under Stalin’s regime. Stalin, in spite of being a Georgian, considered Russia as the ‘first among equals’ and didn’t make any special provision for his homeland. Georgia with a largely agrarian economy still performed better than the other republics during the Soviet time. Such sentiments, however, are not exclusive to the Georgians. Over the years, I personally met many people from the ‘Stans’ of Central Asia, and even from the Eastern bloc who largely believed that the quality of life was much better during the Soviet era. Uzbek chef, Romanian taxi driver, Bulgarian tourist, people with very different personalities and somewhat different worldviews rooted for a foregone dream which was conceived a hundred years ago. Or was the dream conceived after all? A hundred years after the Bolshevik revolution the post-soviet states suffer from the familiar woes which plagued these countries even in the beginning of the twentieth century. × A hundred years after the Bolshevik revolution the post-soviet states suffer from the familiar woes which plagued these countries even in the beginning of the twentieth century. A few corrupt elites are still in control of the national wealth, millions of working-class proletariats are even now struggling for survival, and the autocratic governments are still in the power. Yet, another Bolshevik revolution seems like a remote possibility, if not impossible at all. Despite the same institutional flaws and structural economic problems, the political aspirations of the current generations cannot be different anymore. Some historical perspectives may help us to understand this puzzle. To start with, almost all of these countries were invaded by the Russian red army. The underlying intentions of Russia were not very different from that of the other contemporary European colonial powers. After Azerbaijan was incorporated in the Soviet Republic, Lenin wrote “we all know that our industries stood idle because of the lack of fuel. However, today, the proletariat of Baku has toppled the Azerbaijani government and is in charge of running the government. This means that now we own a basic economy that is capable of supporting our industries’’. Instead of a proletariat revolution what actually happened in Azerbaijan was a direct conflict between the Russian red army and the Azerbaijani military; several thousands of Azeri soldiers died on the battlefields. The Caspian oil fields were too important to lose, and Lenin underscored that fact many a time. The other republics also have similar histories. Some memories of the revolution are certainly painful, bringing back the buried emotions. The Soviet ideologists assumed the existence of new Soviet men who would lose any nationalist sentiment and adhere to communist intellectualism. × Emotions are easily triggered when there is a deprivation of liberty. Many of the first generation Homo Sovieticus was forcefully converted to a new anti-religion. The Soviet ideologists assumed the existence of new Soviet men who would lose any nationalist sentiment and adhere to communist intellectualism. In retrospect, it seems that the ideology was more of a theoretical possibility, and that too was a flawed one. The high-handedness of Soviet intellectuals ignored a thousand years of nonlinear history. As a result, most of the post-Soviet republics are now dogmatically religious. If a Rip Van Winkle from one of these countries suddenly wakes up after a hundred years, he may find that the religious presuppositions have not been changed after all. Nationalist sentiments too, instead of being extinct, are at an all-time high. In fact right after the collapse of the Soviet Union, as soon as the new republics were established violent ethnic conflicts broke out. So, what legacy did the new Soviet men leave for their future generations? In her noteworthy book ‘Secondhand time: the last of the Soviets’, Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich has chronicled and examined some of the failed legacies of USSR. An ex-employee of a Soviet archive tells her “Paper lies more than people do”; a lady from Abkhazia laments “We took the bus together, went to the same school, learned the same language… (and then war broke out) suddenly they were all killing each other. Neighbor killing neighbor, classmates killing classmates, brother killing sisters”; a soldier confesses “A soldier’s not a person. He’s an object…a tool…a killing machine…I wanted to kill myself about five times”. Svetlana’s subjects might be strangers to us, but once they start narrating their stories it would be impossible to not be overwhelmed with emotions. In pages after pages, they describe how the leaders betrayed a once in a lifetime ideology, how the authorities showed a complete lack of compassion for the fellow human beings, how deception became the self-fulfilling tool to justify every wrong policy action. But more than anything else, it seems that there was a tremendous disregard for the past which made the leaders believe in quick fixes for every sociopolitical trouble that emerged within the territories of USSR but outside the territories of Russia. And this too had a long legacy. When the first congress of the people of the East took place in Baku in 1920, Lenin advised the communists of ‘backward’ Asia to forge alliances with bourgeois nationalists, a policy which would have never even been proposed in Russia. One of the first leaders to oppose such idea was the Indian revolutionary Manabendra Nath Roy, who had a strong suspicion that the bourgeois nationalists would have a rather close connection with the feudal order of the Asian republics. Manabendra Nath was indeed a visionary, Lenin’s preferred course of alliances with the bourgeois nationalists took its toll. Capitalism in its current form cannot alleviate the problems of the post-Soviet states, but a possible reincarnation of the tried and tested socialist failures make the younger generations more worried. × The socialist movement in the Caucasian and Asian republics of USSR went haywire, and as soon as the command and control economy had collapsed the old feudal order, now known as Oligarchs, took over the control of the post-Soviet states. Capitalism in its current form cannot alleviate the problems of the post-Soviet states, but a possible reincarnation of the tried and tested socialist failures make the younger generations more worried. The post-Soviet states are now in dire need of their own maverick thinkers who can perhaps establish a new economic order. Since an awfully long lull is still in effect, I hope the storm is not that far away.

Russian revolution: Life in post-Soviet states 100 years later

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