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<p><br />
The Jallikattu row ended in Chennai amid violence in various parts of Tamil Nadu. WION&#39;s correspondent Ramesh Ramachandran who was reporting live from Marina beach - the epicenter of the agitation - was caught in the crossfire several times.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Tamil Nadu police repeatedly targeted WION correspondent Ramesh Ramachandran, not allowing him to report on events unfolding at Marina beach even though he had permission from the police. As the event was being covered live, Tamil Nadu cops manhandled Ramesh Ramachandran&nbsp;which resulted in an argument and amid the chaos WION&#39;s OB cable was damaged and the crew was forced to push back from the actual spot.</p>

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<p>It was not just casual bystanders and auto drivers who bore the brunt of police arson in Chennai on Monday, WION&#39;s camera crew headed by Ramesh Ramachandran was repeatedly manhandled by the cops (WION)</p>
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<p>It did not end there, as the police began hitting the crowd with batons in the afternoon and the crowd retaliated by pelting stones, the Tamil Nadu police forced Ramesh Ramachandran to rush back to the van and prevented the WION crew from shooting the chaotic scenes at Marina beach. Ramesh Ramachandran&nbsp;sustained injuries himself as the police were hitting agitators. WION&#39;s OB van was smashed with both driver and engineer sustaining injuries.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Is this how <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/reporters?src=hash">#reporters</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/news?src=hash">#news</a> organizations who cover on the ground get treated? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jallikattuprotest?src=hash">#Jallikattuprotest</a> going out of hand. <a href="https://t.co/1LHqRaduRP">https://t.co/1LHqRaduRP</a></p>
&mdash; WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/823436443393503233">January 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Ramesh said the Tamil Nadu police mercilessly lathicharged the crowd and held the media responsible for the situation which quickly went out of hand. In fact, the Tamil Nadu police was criticised by actor Kamal Hassan in a series of tweets as&nbsp;he sought to know why police took action when the students were peacefully awaiting the decision the Tamil Nadu assembly&nbsp;on the matter. Many protestors stayed put despite police action and accused the cops of unnecessarily using force on&nbsp;a peaceful agitation.</p>

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<p>WION team was targeted by Tamil Nadu police during the Jallikattu agitation at Marina beach. (WION)</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Remains of the day: <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews">@WIONews</a> camera crew covering <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jallikattu?src=hash">#Jallikattu</a> protest in Chennai assaulted. <a href="https://t.co/Nak2bCy8Ls">pic.twitter.com/Nak2bCy8Ls</a></p>
&mdash; Ramesh Ramachandran (@RRRameshRRR) <a href="https://twitter.com/RRRameshRRR/status/823434280852422656">January 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>(WION)</p>

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The Tamil Nadu police repeatedly targeted WION correspondent Ramesh Ramachandran, not allowing him to report from Marina beach

The Jallikattu row ended in Chennai amid violence in various parts of Tamil Nadu. WION's correspondent Ramesh Ramachandran who was reporting live from Marina beach - the epicenter of the agitation - was caught in the crossfire several times. The Tamil Nadu police repeatedly targeted WION correspondent Ramesh Ramachandran, not allowing him to report on events unfolding at Marina beach even though he had permission from the police. As the event was being covered live, Tamil Nadu cops manhandled Ramesh Ramachandran which resulted in an argument and amid the chaos WION's OB cable was damaged and the crew was forced to push back from the actual spot. It was not just casual bystanders and auto drivers who bore the brunt of police arson in Chennai on Monday, WION's camera crew headed by Ramesh Ramachandran was repeatedly manhandled by the cops (WION) × It did not end there, as the police began hitting the crowd with batons in the afternoon and the crowd retaliated by pelting stones, the Tamil Nadu police forced Ramesh Ramachandran to rush back to the van and prevented the WION crew from shooting the chaotic scenes at Marina beach. Ramesh Ramachandran sustained injuries himself as the police were hitting agitators. WION's OB van was smashed with both driver and engineer sustaining injuries. Is this how #reporters and #news organizations who cover on the ground get treated? #Jallikattuprotest going out of hand. https://t.co/1LHqRaduRP — WION (@WIONews) January 23, 2017 × Ramesh said the Tamil Nadu police mercilessly lathicharged the crowd and held the media responsible for the situation which quickly went out of hand. In fact, the Tamil Nadu police was criticised by actor Kamal Hassan in a series of tweets as he sought to know why police took action when the students were peacefully awaiting the decision the Tamil Nadu assembly on the matter. Many protestors stayed put despite police action and accused the cops of unnecessarily using force on a peaceful agitation. WION team was targeted by Tamil Nadu police during the Jallikattu agitation at Marina beach. (WION) × Remains of the day: @WIONews camera crew covering #Jallikattu protest in Chennai assaulted. pic.twitter.com/Nak2bCy8Ls — Ramesh Ramachandran (@RRRameshRRR) January 23, 2017 × (WION)

Jallikattu: Tamil Nadu cops target WION camera crew

<p>As a 13-year-old, he was diagnosed with&nbsp;Hodgkin&rsquo;s disease - a severe blood cancer. Being in the fourth and final stage, doctors declared that he will not live for more than ninety days. However, he fought and survived. At 16, another&nbsp;golf ball-sized cancerous tumor was discovered in his lung. After removal of the Askin&rsquo;s tumor, Sean Swarner was expected to live for only fourteen days. But he survived again to astonish the medical world.</p>

<p>A decade later and with only one fully functioning lung, Sean became&nbsp;the first cancer survivor to climb Mount Everest, proving to others that nothing is impossible when your&nbsp;determination is rock solid. The journey didn&#39;t end there; he completed the Ironman Championship and made it to the top of the Seven Summits, the highest peaks of the seven continents. He is also an author of two inspirational novels and the founder of CancerClimber Association, a non-profit organization for cancer survivors.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: What was your state of mind when you were first&nbsp;detected with cancer?</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>Since I was only a 13-year-old, I didn&rsquo;t fully understand how devastating it would be to my life. Being so young, I don&rsquo;t think I had a full grasp on the concept of life versus death, but I knew I was sick and that if I lost the will and hope to live, I wouldn&rsquo;t survive.</p>

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<p>Sean Swarner at age 13, when he was diagnosed with cancer (WION)</p>
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<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: How did you deal with it the second time?</strong></p>

<p><strong>Sean:&nbsp;</strong>I knew what I was getting into much better than before because I had been through a year of hell with the chemotherapy, treatments, bloating, loss of hair&nbsp;and everything else that I&rsquo;d never wish for my worst enemy. I was more scared the second time because I understood what was about to happen &ndash; my life was going to be put on hold until I was better again.</p>

<p>I went through the first one, and I sure didn&rsquo;t want to go through another! I mentally told myself either to fight for my life or give up and die.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: What were some thoughts occupying your mind?</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Sean:&nbsp;</strong>It was difficult in the beginning, I kept asking myself &ldquo;why me?&rdquo; Eventually, I realized that it WAS ME and I cannot change the fact that I had cancer,&nbsp;but I could change my thoughts about cancer. In the process of self-healing, I used to picture&nbsp;myself killing&nbsp;cancer in my veins.</p>

<h3 dir="ltr"><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: So&nbsp;you believe&nbsp;the human mind has the power to heal?</strong></h3>

<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Sean:&nbsp;</strong>The power of the&nbsp;human mind is often underestimated.&nbsp;It can heal on many levels, including emotional, physical and psychological.&nbsp;You always have the freedom to&nbsp;choose how you want to perceive the world. No one can make you feel in a certain manner or force their thoughts upon you unless you want to. You always have a choice. It boils down to perspective &ndash; instead of seeing a challenge as a challenge, see it from a different angle and look at it as an&nbsp;opportunity.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: How would you define hope?</strong></p>

<p><strong>Sean:&nbsp;</strong>I believe it&rsquo;s more than words could ever describe. It&rsquo;s the feeling we get when we expect&nbsp;a certain outcome&nbsp;and sense an unsaid but unwavering assurance for it to happen. To quote Emily Dickinson, &ldquo;Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul&nbsp;and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.&rdquo;</p>

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<p>&quot;Being so young, I don&rsquo;t think I had a full grasp on the concept of life versus death, but I knew I was sick, and that if I lost the will to live and if I lost hope, I wouldn&rsquo;t survive&quot; (Source: Facebook, Sean Swarner) (Facebook)</p>
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<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: Who has shared&nbsp;hope with you?</strong></p>

<p><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>My friends and family are my greatest strength. I also make an effort to grasp something from everyone I meet.&nbsp;We have two ears and one mouth for a reason&nbsp;and if we listen we can learn something new each day.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: You are the first cancer survivor to conquer Mt. Everest- What inspired you?</strong></p>

<p><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>After surviving cancer twice, I wanted to spread hope among those struggling with the disease. I literally wanted the highest platform in the world to scream hope. I developed&nbsp;interest in mountain climbing only eight months before I went for the Everest.&nbsp;People touched by the disease are fighting for their lives; I can struggle through being cold&nbsp;and a little altitude sickness.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: When did you decide to do the Seven Summits?</strong></p>

<p><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>I could see the impact my first expedition had made, and I didn&#39;t want to stop there.&nbsp;After coming home from Everest, I figured that the rest of those mountains on every other continent couldn&rsquo;t be harder than Everest, so I went for it.</p>

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<p>Sean during his expedition to Antarctica (WION)</p>
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<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: What was the scariest moment?</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>I&#39;ve had a number of them and going through cancer definitely is one. Another would be when&nbsp;I was climbing Mt. Denali&nbsp;and&nbsp;fell from a height of 100 feet. I was roped&nbsp;to my climbing partner when I slid 50 feet below him, then another 50 feet below, rocketing down a glacier on the highest mountain in North America.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: What impact have you been able to&nbsp;make with your organization?</strong></p>

<p><b>Sean:</b>&nbsp;We raise funds for cancer survivors who are interested in adventure sports and take them to&nbsp;Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa. These survivors reach out to their own communities and share their survivorship story to inspire others to climb their own proverbial mountains to make more out of their lives.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: What is the overall message?</strong></p>

<p><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>Even though I speak about different causes in different places, the underlying message is all about &ldquo;Redefining Your Impossible&rdquo; and living a life that matters.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: Please share a memory&nbsp;when your story&nbsp;impacted others</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>At a conference after my presentation,&nbsp;I was addressing the audience. I could tell that the next woman in the queue&nbsp;had been crying because her mascara was running down her face and her nose was red. She came up to me, hugged me, buried her face in my chest and started sobbing. I hugged her back and held her until she was ready to talk. She told me that in the past 6 months, she lost her husband and son to cancer and now she&nbsp;herself, had been diagnosed with the disease for the third time. She had planned on committing suicide and&nbsp;had a suicide note written in her hotel room. She said that my talk changed her mind and that I saved her life. It made me believe that I could make a difference.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: Out of all your milestones, which one do you consider your highest?</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>I feel the highest milestone&nbsp;is yet to come,&nbsp;maybe it will be when I get married and have a family.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(255, 97, 37); font-family: &quot;Libre Baskerville&quot;, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kazimi: Any words for those going through a hard time in life?</strong></p>

<p><b>Sean:&nbsp;</b>&ldquo;This too shall pass,&rdquo; because it does. Embrace the positive, enjoy everything you can when life is good&nbsp;and know the bad times are going to pass. People get big muscles by pushing against massive weight. In the same way, people build their mental character and strength by pushing through the tough times.</p>

<p dir="ltr">(Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)</p>


'I knew I was sick and that if I lost the hope to live, I wouldn?t survive'

As a 13-year-old, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease - a severe blood cancer. Being in the fourth and final stage, doctors declared that he will not live for more than ninety days. However, he fought and survived. At 16, another golf ball-sized cancerous tumor was discovered in his lung. After removal of the Askin’s tumor, Sean Swarner was expected to live for only fourteen days. But he survived again to astonish the medical world. A decade later and with only one fully functioning lung, Sean became the first cancer survivor to climb Mount Everest, proving to others that nothing is impossible when your determination is rock solid. The journey didn't end there; he completed the Ironman Championship and made it to the top of the Seven Summits, the highest peaks of the seven continents. He is also an author of two inspirational novels and the founder of CancerClimber Association, a non-profit organization for cancer survivors. Kazimi: What was your state of mind when you were first detected with cancer? Sean: Since I was only a 13-year-old, I didn’t fully understand how devastating it would be to my life. Being so young, I don’t think I had a full grasp on the concept of life versus death, but I knew I was sick and that if I lost the will and hope to live, I wouldn’t survive. Sean Swarner at age 13, when he was diagnosed with cancer (WION) × Kazimi: How did you deal with it the second time? Sean: I knew what I was getting into much better than before because I had been through a year of hell with the chemotherapy, treatments, bloating, loss of hair and everything else that I’d never wish for my worst enemy. I was more scared the second time because I understood what was about to happen – my life was going to be put on hold until I was better again. I went through the first one, and I sure didn’t want to go through another! I mentally told myself either to fight for my life or give up and die. Kazimi: What were some thoughts occupying your mind? Sean: It was difficult in the beginning, I kept asking myself “why me?” Eventually, I realized that it WAS ME and I cannot change the fact that I had cancer, but I could change my thoughts about cancer. In the process of self-healing, I used to picture myself killing cancer in my veins. Kazimi: So you believe the human mind has the power to heal? Sean: The power of the human mind is often underestimated. It can heal on many levels, including emotional, physical and psychological. You always have the freedom to choose how you want to perceive the world. No one can make you feel in a certain manner or force their thoughts upon you unless you want to. You always have a choice. It boils down to perspective – instead of seeing a challenge as a challenge, see it from a different angle and look at it as an opportunity. Kazimi: How would you define hope? Sean: I believe it’s more than words could ever describe. It’s the feeling we get when we expect a certain outcome and sense an unsaid but unwavering assurance for it to happen. To quote Emily Dickinson, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.” "Being so young, I don’t think I had a full grasp on the concept of life versus death, but I knew I was sick, and that if I lost the will to live and if I lost hope, I wouldn’t survive" (Source: Facebook, Sean Swarner) (Facebook) × Kazimi: Who has shared hope with you? Sean: My friends and family are my greatest strength. I also make an effort to grasp something from everyone I meet. We have two ears and one mouth for a reason and if we listen we can learn something new each day. Kazimi: You are the first cancer survivor to conquer Mt. Everest- What inspired you? Sean: After surviving cancer twice, I wanted to spread hope among those struggling with the disease. I literally wanted the highest platform in the world to scream hope. I developed interest in mountain climbing only eight months before I went for the Everest. People touched by the disease are fighting for their lives; I can struggle through being cold and a little altitude sickness. Kazimi: When did you decide to do the Seven Summits? Sean: I could see the impact my first expedition had made, and I didn't want to stop there. After coming home from Everest, I figured that the rest of those mountains on every other continent couldn’t be harder than Everest, so I went for it. Sean during his expedition to Antarctica (WION) × Kazimi: What was the scariest moment? Sean: I've had a number of them and going through cancer definitely is one. Another would be when I was climbing Mt. Denali and fell from a height of 100 feet. I was roped to my climbing partner when I slid 50 feet below him, then another 50 feet below, rocketing down a glacier on the highest mountain in North America. Kazimi: What impact have you been able to make with your organization? Sean: We raise funds for cancer survivors who are interested in adventure sports and take them to Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa. These survivors reach out to their own communities and share their survivorship story to inspire others to climb their own proverbial mountains to make more out of their lives. Kazimi: What is the overall message? Sean: Even though I speak about different causes in different places, the underlying message is all about “Redefining Your Impossible” and living a life that matters. Kazimi: Please share a memory when your story impacted others Sean: At a conference after my presentation, I was addressing the audience. I could tell that the next woman in the queue had been crying because her mascara was running down her face and her nose was red. She came up to me, hugged me, buried her face in my chest and started sobbing. I hugged her back and held her until she was ready to talk. She told me that in the past 6 months, she lost her husband and son to cancer and now she herself, had been diagnosed with the disease for the third time. She had planned on committing suicide and had a suicide note written in her hotel room. She said that my talk changed her mind and that I saved her life. It made me believe that I could make a difference. Kazimi: Out of all your milestones, which one do you consider your highest? Sean: I feel the highest milestone is yet to come, maybe it will be when I get married and have a family. Kazimi: Any words for those going through a hard time in life? Sean: “This too shall pass,” because it does. Embrace the positive, enjoy everything you can when life is good and know the bad times are going to pass. People get big muscles by pushing against massive weight. In the same way, people build their mental character and strength by pushing through the tough times. (Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)

Konversations: The cancer survivor who climbed Everest

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<h5>May your trash become someone else&rsquo;s treasure</h5>
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<p>This thought-provoking statement became the motto of a young man from India.</p>

<p>From chemical imports, mushroom farming, graphic designing to fast food chains,&nbsp;<strong>Ramakrishna Iyengar</strong>&nbsp;did it all. But his calling was a greater purpose in life, he wanted to address the concerns of depleting natural resources and increasing landfills. He came up with<i>&nbsp;</i><strong><i>Pass It On</i></strong>, a non-profit platform that promotes the concept of freecycling, or free recycling - an act of giving away usable, unwanted items to others instead of discarding&nbsp;them. He intends to&nbsp;help NGOs, orphanages and old age homes benefit from the process.<br />
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The 24-year-old is a hardcore computer gamer and sometimes spends&nbsp;5 hours a day only playing online games to de-stress. Apart from this, he loves to&nbsp;play the guitar and travel.</p>

<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Kazimi: When did you realize that your concerns for the environment were so strong?</h3>

<p><strong>Ram: </strong>I have been concerned about the environment right from my childhood. The earth is our home, and we are only dirtying and damaging it. The expanding carbon footprint and uncountable landfills tell us so much about the situation. I wanted to take a&nbsp;stand for the ongoing crisis and raise more awareness.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Kazimi: What triggered you to start a venture about freecycling?</h3>

<p><strong>Ram: </strong>Eventually, I realized that more than lack of awareness, people have little direction on how to help out in improving the situation. Almost everyone has unwanted but useful items in their homes, like books, clothes, toys, gadgets, etc., and are stuck in a dilemma of whether to throw them away or to give them to someone. However, these days no one has the time to go out and search for people or organizations to donate their items to.</p>

<p>I have seen wealthy people throwing away usable things that could have been freecycled and channeled to someone who could not afford it. I wanted to change the way people get rid of useful but unwanted items.</p>

<h3>Kazimi: So how does your company help to resolve the problem?</h3>

<p><strong>Ram:</strong> The idea is for people to donate on one end and help struggling organizations to receive the donations on the other end. The&nbsp;key here is using technology to ease the process. We offer an online platform for people to declutter their house in a meaningful way. We have partnered with several NGOs, orphanages and old-age homes, which will be the direct recipients of these items. This is where we come in - the team does pick-up and delivery of products without levying any charges.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Kazimi: Any instance that has stayed with you?</h3>

<p><strong>Ram:</strong> From small items like books and clothes people have been putting up high-value items such as televisions, furniture and smartphones on the site for donation. I was really moved when a lady had put big bags of cat food for donation since her cat died recently and she wanted to give it away to anyone who has a cat. You can find so many similar items on our website that would have ended up in a trashcan otherwise.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Kazimi: What are the challenging facets of the job?</h3>

<p><strong>Ram:</strong> It is quite hard to change the traditional mind-set of people where they would rather throw away their belongings or sell them at dirt cheap prices. Putting human values before profit, applying commercial strategies to maximize human and environmental well-being is not&nbsp;for the weak minded. It&rsquo;s not a regular money-making venture.&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Kazimi: What keeps you motivated when feeling low?</h3>

<p><strong>Ram:</strong> I have my own mantras to keep myself going. Don&rsquo;t pay heed to people who try to bring you down. The most important skill a human being needs is that of overcoming failure. Always follow your heart and have the guts to chase your dream. Take risks; even if it doesn&rsquo;t work out, you will still gain experience.</p>

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<h3>Kazimi: What are some issues that need urgent attention?</h3>

<p><strong>Ram: </strong>A better waste management system. The world should take inspiration from Sweden. They convert all their garbage into usable energy, so much so, that they run out of garbage and have to import it from other countries. Energy crisis is one of the biggest economic challenges the world is facing right now, and it is linked to all other crises, such as poverty, starvation, etc. A huge chunk of the&nbsp;population doesn&#39;t have basic access to renewable energy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h3>Kazimi: What can the common man do to address the ongoing crisis?</h3>

<p><strong>Ram: </strong>We collectively have to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and move on to cleaner energy sources, Global warming is not just a theory anymore. It is happening, ice caps are melting faster than ever. It is the&nbsp;time we all start implementing environment-friendly measures, otherwise nature will take over us. If each individual does their part, such as using energy efficient products, planting a tree or carpooling, the collective impact will be massive. The smallest of things can make a difference.</p>

<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">(Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)</p>


Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the greatest

May your trash become someone else’s treasure × This thought-provoking statement became the motto of a young man from India. From chemical imports, mushroom farming, graphic designing to fast food chains, Ramakrishna Iyengar did it all. But his calling was a greater purpose in life, he wanted to address the concerns of depleting natural resources and increasing landfills. He came up with Pass It On, a non-profit platform that promotes the concept of freecycling, or free recycling - an act of giving away usable, unwanted items to others instead of discarding them. He intends to help NGOs, orphanages and old age homes benefit from the process. The 24-year-old is a hardcore computer gamer and sometimes spends 5 hours a day only playing online games to de-stress. Apart from this, he loves to play the guitar and travel. Kazimi: When did you realize that your concerns for the environment were so strong? Ram: I have been concerned about the environment right from my childhood. The earth is our home, and we are only dirtying and damaging it. The expanding carbon footprint and uncountable landfills tell us so much about the situation. I wanted to take a stand for the ongoing crisis and raise more awareness. Kazimi: What triggered you to start a venture about freecycling? Ram: Eventually, I realized that more than lack of awareness, people have little direction on how to help out in improving the situation. Almost everyone has unwanted but useful items in their homes, like books, clothes, toys, gadgets, etc., and are stuck in a dilemma of whether to throw them away or to give them to someone. However, these days no one has the time to go out and search for people or organizations to donate their items to. I have seen wealthy people throwing away usable things that could have been freecycled and channeled to someone who could not afford it. I wanted to change the way people get rid of useful but unwanted items. Kazimi: So how does your company help to resolve the problem? Ram: The idea is for people to donate on one end and help struggling organizations to receive the donations on the other end. The key here is using technology to ease the process. We offer an online platform for people to declutter their house in a meaningful way. We have partnered with several NGOs, orphanages and old-age homes, which will be the direct recipients of these items. This is where we come in - the team does pick-up and delivery of products without levying any charges. Kazimi: Any instance that has stayed with you? Ram: From small items like books and clothes people have been putting up high-value items such as televisions, furniture and smartphones on the site for donation. I was really moved when a lady had put big bags of cat food for donation since her cat died recently and she wanted to give it away to anyone who has a cat. You can find so many similar items on our website that would have ended up in a trashcan otherwise. Kazimi: What are the challenging facets of the job? Ram: It is quite hard to change the traditional mind-set of people where they would rather throw away their belongings or sell them at dirt cheap prices. Putting human values before profit, applying commercial strategies to maximize human and environmental well-being is not for the weak minded. It’s not a regular money-making venture. Kazimi: What keeps you motivated when feeling low? Ram: I have my own mantras to keep myself going. Don’t pay heed to people who try to bring you down. The most important skill a human being needs is that of overcoming failure. Always follow your heart and have the guts to chase your dream. Take risks; even if it doesn’t work out, you will still gain experience. Take risks, even if it doesn’t work out, you will still gain experience. × Kazimi: What are some issues that need urgent attention? Ram: A better waste management system. The world should take inspiration from Sweden. They convert all their garbage into usable energy, so much so, that they run out of garbage and have to import it from other countries. Energy crisis is one of the biggest economic challenges the world is facing right now, and it is linked to all other crises, such as poverty, starvation, etc. A huge chunk of the population doesn't have basic access to renewable energy. Kazimi: What can the common man do to address the ongoing crisis? Ram: We collectively have to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and move on to cleaner energy sources, Global warming is not just a theory anymore. It is happening, ice caps are melting faster than ever. It is the time we all start implementing environment-friendly measures, otherwise nature will take over us. If each individual does their part, such as using energy efficient products, planting a tree or carpooling, the collective impact will be massive. The smallest of things can make a difference. (Coordinator and Editor: Devanshi Verma)

Konversations: He turns your trash into treasure

<p>The assassination of the Russian ambassador inside the art gallery of Ankara might be far removed from India but it holds great importance for South Asia. The world is looking into the assassination from the lens of Aleppo and the Russian intransigence in the West Asia but for the sub-continent, it is the real and present danger of reverse indoctrination which creates a worrisome scenario for India which stands lonely in the region.</p>

<p>Despite the fact that political regimes have often been blamed and rightly do for the religious slant, India has been able to buffer it armed and civil-military institutions from religious bias. Of&nbsp;course, caste continues to be a reality but it has not led to any personal act of violence against a&nbsp;political opponent in India. The only time the military faced a similar challenge was after the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi when Sikh resentment became a reality and cause of concern for both political and defence establishment.</p>

<p>Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are three countries where defence establishments have gone through the process of reverse indoctrination. The worst example is that of Pakistan where even the generals are afraid to fine tune the Army because pro-Taliban sentiment looms large amongst the middle contingent.</p>

<p>The assassination attempt on former president Pervez Musharraf from the armed services itself and the brutal assassination of Salman Taseer, former governor of Pakistan Punjab province by his own bodyguard are the two examples which elucidate this point. In both the cases perpetrators of brutal violence were mentally disturbed because they felt that religious underpinning of the state and their identity was being challenged. In Ankara, a Turk (who also happened to be a police officer) died for what happened in Aleppo erasing his national identity, sense of duty towards the organisation and responsibility towards civil society.</p>

<p>When the enemy becomes an organic and intimate part of the state whose job is to defend people as desired by the institutions of the state revolts often leads to a&nbsp;coup or a complete breakdown of the law and order machinery of the system. But it needs to be preceded by a subservient political establishment which gives in inch by inch to the radical elements which have been the case with Pakistan and now Turkey.</p>

<p>In France and Germany, the attacks were either by radicalised immigrants or terrorists who masqueraded as immigrants and attacked innocent people. What happened in Turkey resonated closely with Pakistan where public institutions have been subverted from inside and political executive is too weak to protest because they fear for their own life as the protector which the police and the Army have itself metamorphosed into a beast which feeds on its own people. The danger in Pakistan is higher as terror organisation run technical institutes are ambitious enough to aspire that their students one day will be part of the nuclear establishment so that fruit of their labour can be harvested in the time to come.</p>

<p>India doesn&rsquo;t suffer from similar problems but it should remain open to the possibility that it is not immune to it. But what makes it difficult for India is that it is surrounded by countries where civilian institutions aren&rsquo;t doing well and it needs to do much more so that when the US exits Afghanistan, it does not fall into the hands of Pakistan defined good Taliban as the consequences of it would be hard to fathom.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are 3 countries where the defence establishments have gone through the process of reverse indoctrination

The assassination of the Russian ambassador inside the art gallery of Ankara might be far removed from India but it holds great importance for South Asia. The world is looking into the assassination from the lens of Aleppo and the Russian intransigence in the West Asia but for the sub-continent, it is the real and present danger of reverse indoctrination which creates a worrisome scenario for India which stands lonely in the region. Despite the fact that political regimes have often been blamed and rightly do for the religious slant, India has been able to buffer it armed and civil-military institutions from religious bias. Of course, caste continues to be a reality but it has not led to any personal act of violence against a political opponent in India. The only time the military faced a similar challenge was after the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi when Sikh resentment became a reality and cause of concern for both political and defence establishment. Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are three countries where defence establishments have gone through the process of reverse indoctrination. The worst example is that of Pakistan where even the generals are afraid to fine tune the Army because pro-Taliban sentiment looms large amongst the middle contingent. The assassination attempt on former president Pervez Musharraf from the armed services itself and the brutal assassination of Salman Taseer, former governor of Pakistan Punjab province by his own bodyguard are the two examples which elucidate this point. In both the cases perpetrators of brutal violence were mentally disturbed because they felt that religious underpinning of the state and their identity was being challenged. In Ankara, a Turk (who also happened to be a police officer) died for what happened in Aleppo erasing his national identity, sense of duty towards the organisation and responsibility towards civil society. When the enemy becomes an organic and intimate part of the state whose job is to defend people as desired by the institutions of the state revolts often leads to a coup or a complete breakdown of the law and order machinery of the system. But it needs to be preceded by a subservient political establishment which gives in inch by inch to the radical elements which have been the case with Pakistan and now Turkey. In France and Germany, the attacks were either by radicalised immigrants or terrorists who masqueraded as immigrants and attacked innocent people. What happened in Turkey resonated closely with Pakistan where public institutions have been subverted from inside and political executive is too weak to protest because they fear for their own life as the protector which the police and the Army have itself metamorphosed into a beast which feeds on its own people. The danger in Pakistan is higher as terror organisation run technical institutes are ambitious enough to aspire that their students one day will be part of the nuclear establishment so that fruit of their labour can be harvested in the time to come. India doesn’t suffer from similar problems but it should remain open to the possibility that it is not immune to it. But what makes it difficult for India is that it is surrounded by countries where civilian institutions aren’t doing well and it needs to do much more so that when the US exits Afghanistan, it does not fall into the hands of Pakistan defined good Taliban as the consequences of it would be hard to fathom. (WION)

Changing nature of global jihad and challenges before India, the enemy within

<p>Clashes broke out between two communities in West Bengal&rsquo;s Howrah district last Tuesday following Milad-ul-Nabi celebrations.</p>

<p>A procession to mark Prophet Muhammad&rsquo;s birth anniversary had within it a mob that began to attack homes and shops.</p>

<p>The people of Dhulagarh claim they had to flee when their homes were attacked. And that the mob went on to loot homes, fleeing with money and jewellery.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The villagers allege the mob threw bombs at their homes before looting them, and that they finally set the houses on fire. (WION)</p>
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<p>The villagers allege the mob threw bombs at their homes before looting them, and that they finally set the houses on fire.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Nothing is left. We are looted of all our belongings. They ransacked and vandalised our houses and eventually set them on fire. We could not save a single penny from our houses, only managed to save our children and ran for life,&rdquo; said Lakshmi Mallya, a local.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Eyewitnesses claim the mob was made up mostly of outsiders, and that they had never seen them in the locality. They added that the mob also torched their shops.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;We are robbed of everything that we had. Our houses are gone, so have our shops. We do not have a single penny to even buy a meal for our family. We are in the most helpless situation. We have nowhere to go,&rdquo; said Shubho Roy, a villager.</p>

<p>When WION visited Dhulagarh, the area in and around Banijyopol was dotted with torched houses. The entire&nbsp;lane leading to Banijyopol lay strewn with broken glass, shoes, and mobile phones.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>While most of the villagers had fled, those left behind were seen fleeing with what they could carry -- stoves, gas cylinders, bedding. (WION)</p>
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<p>Puffed rice and biscuits lay on the road next to partly-burnt shops. Motorcycles and bicycles lay on the lane, blackened and useless. Several buildings sported broken window panes.</p>

<p>Even the main door of a house of worship showed tell-tale signs of bombs having been thrown at it. Its switchboard and window panes had been smashed into small pieces.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While most of the villagers had fled, those left behind were seen fleeing with what they could carry -- stoves,&nbsp;gas cylinders, bedding.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Section 144 has been imposed and the rapid action force, fire tenders, and water cannons have been deployed to keep the peace.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
When WION tried to speak to the superintendent of police, Howrah (rural), Sabyasachi Raman Mishra, he refused to comment on the &quot;tensed situation&quot;.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


A mob from within the procession to mark Prophet Muhammad?s birth anniversary torched homes

Clashes broke out between two communities in West Bengal’s Howrah district last Tuesday following Milad-ul-Nabi celebrations. A procession to mark Prophet Muhammad’s birth anniversary had within it a mob that began to attack homes and shops. The people of Dhulagarh claim they had to flee when their homes were attacked. And that the mob went on to loot homes, fleeing with money and jewellery. The villagers allege the mob threw bombs at their homes before looting them, and that they finally set the houses on fire. (WION) × The villagers allege the mob threw bombs at their homes before looting them, and that they finally set the houses on fire. “Nothing is left. We are looted of all our belongings. They ransacked and vandalised our houses and eventually set them on fire. We could not save a single penny from our houses, only managed to save our children and ran for life,” said Lakshmi Mallya, a local. Eyewitnesses claim the mob was made up mostly of outsiders, and that they had never seen them in the locality. They added that the mob also torched their shops. “We are robbed of everything that we had. Our houses are gone, so have our shops. We do not have a single penny to even buy a meal for our family. We are in the most helpless situation. We have nowhere to go,” said Shubho Roy, a villager. When WION visited Dhulagarh, the area in and around Banijyopol was dotted with torched houses. The entire lane leading to Banijyopol lay strewn with broken glass, shoes, and mobile phones. While most of the villagers had fled, those left behind were seen fleeing with what they could carry -- stoves, gas cylinders, bedding. (WION) × Puffed rice and biscuits lay on the road next to partly-burnt shops. Motorcycles and bicycles lay on the lane, blackened and useless. Several buildings sported broken window panes. Even the main door of a house of worship showed tell-tale signs of bombs having been thrown at it. Its switchboard and window panes had been smashed into small pieces. While most of the villagers had fled, those left behind were seen fleeing with what they could carry -- stoves, gas cylinders, bedding. Section 144 has been imposed and the rapid action force, fire tenders, and water cannons have been deployed to keep the peace. When WION tried to speak to the superintendent of police, Howrah (rural), Sabyasachi Raman Mishra, he refused to comment on the "tensed situation". (WION)

Bengal communal clashes: WION reports from Dhulagarh

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<p style="text-align: center;">Live - 24 Hours of Reality</p>

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<p>WION takes up a&nbsp;fight against global warming with its upcoming initiative, World Is One Degree. Join the fight!</p>

<p><strong>Watch more on the impact of climate change on WION:</strong></p>

<p>- <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/with-rising-urbanisation-garbage-adding-stink-in-indias-tourist-paradise-world-is-1-degree-1402">How Goa, India&#39;s smallest state fights with the&nbsp;garbage problem.</a></p>

<p>- <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/going-the-electric-vehicle-way-to-reduce-carbon-emission-world-is-1-degree-1413">Going the electric way to reduce carbon emission</a></p>

<p>- <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/delhis-e-rickshaws-clean-green-but-not-tremendously-safe-1412">Clean and green e-rickshaws hit Delhi roads</a></p>

<p>- <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/the-arctic-ice-melt-1408">The Arctic Ice Melt</a></p>

<p>- The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/world-unites-to-fight-climate-change-world-is-1-degree-1411">World Unites To Fight Climate Change</a></p>

<p>- <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/sundarbans-islands-shrinking-due-to-rising-sea-level-world-is-1-degree-1410">Sundarbans islands shrinking due to rising sea levels</a></p>

<p>- <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/great-barrier-reef-dying-world-is-1-degree-1406">Is the Great Barrier Reef dying?</a></p>

<p>- <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/delhis-floating-islands-1383">Delhi&#39;s Floating Island</a></p>

<p>-&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/shrinking-habitats-lead-to-human-animal-conflict-world-is-1-degree-1401">Shrinking habitats lead to human-animal conflict&nbsp;</a></p>

<p>- <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/sustainable-tourism-in-south-asia-1416">Sustainable tourism in South Asia</a></p>

<p>- <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/the-threat-of-climate-change-donald-trumps-reactions-1419">The threat of climate change: Donald Trump&#39;s reaction</a></p>

<p>-&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/drought-in-bolivia-worsens-1438">Drought in Bolivia worsens&nbsp;</a></p>

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Al Gore highlights the world's top 24 CO2-emitting countries

Live - 24 Hours of Reality World is One Degree × WION takes up a fight against global warming with its upcoming initiative, World Is One Degree. Join the fight! Watch more on the impact of climate change on WION: - How Goa, India's smallest state fights with the garbage problem. - Going the electric way to reduce carbon emission - Clean and green e-rickshaws hit Delhi roads - The Arctic Ice Melt - The World Unites To Fight Climate Change - Sundarbans islands shrinking due to rising sea levels - Is the Great Barrier Reef dying? - Delhi's Floating Island - Shrinking habitats lead to human-animal conflict - Sustainable tourism in South Asia - The threat of climate change: Donald Trump's reaction - Drought in Bolivia worsens

WION goes around the world exploring solutions to climate change

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WION is India's first global news network

The world welcomes WION, reactions from around the web after our launch

<p>Most races are tests of speed and/or endurance. But there are some that go beyond that. These are gruelling experiences that only the most daring attempt.</p>

<p>Here&rsquo;s our list of the most challenging races that you can attempt if you wish to stray away from the beaten path:</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2 dir="ltr">Patagonian Expedition Race</h2>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="490" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMerrellAdventureAddicts%2Fphotos%2Fa.283949791678965.67752.149201771820435%2F1009603895780214%2F%3Ftype%3D3&amp;width=500" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="500"></iframe></p>

<p>The annual endurance race defines itself as an adventure at the end of the world.</p>

<p>The 10-day event involves co-ed teams of four members each. The teams engage in trekking, sea kayaking, orienteering, and mountain biking. The race takes place on a different course each year, with competitors using a map and compass to navigate through an unknown terrain.</p>

<p>The race aims to raise awareness about the fragile environment of Chilean Patagonia. It promotes the area&rsquo;s unique and pristine wilderness, as well as its rich cultural heritage, as attractions for a viable sustainable tourism destination.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2 dir="ltr">Jungle Ultra</h2>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="499" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FBeyondtheultimate%2Fposts%2F1277238938976432%3A0&amp;width=500" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="500"></iframe></p>

<p dir="ltr">It is 230-km race through the jungle trails, rugged mountain roads and village tracks. The participants make their way from Cloud Forest and down 10,500 feet to the Amazon jungle below - experiencing dense forests, diverse wildlife in this 5 stage event. Participants have to carry their own hammocks, sleeping bags and food for the entire race, replenishing water bottles only at base camp and checkpoints.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2 dir="ltr">Alaska Mountain Wilderness Challenge</h2>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>This adventure challenge started in 1982 as a 240-km wilderness expedition across various mountain ranges throughout Alaska.</p>

<p>The most common form of transportation is by foot and packraft, although bicycles, skis and paragliders have been used by intrepid participants. Beginning in 2004, participants have been required to carry satellite phones to facilitate emergency rescues.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2 dir="ltr">Ironman Triathlon</h2>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>This one is beyond the calibre of any ordinarily fit people. You need to know how to swim, ride a bicycle and run. Doesn&rsquo;t sound challenging enough? This one means swimming for 2.4 miles, cycling for 112 miles and running for 22 miles! Still sounds doable? Do all of this back-to-back, without a break! Bow down to the masterminds behind the race at the World Triathlon Corporation.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2 dir="ltr">North Pole Marathon</h2>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr">This is recognized as the northernmost marathon on Earth by Guinness World Records. It is a run on a small, 4.2-km loop which is made of 12-feet thick frozen ice from the Arctic Ocean. Participants are required to run 10 rounds along the loop, with the frozen track being the only barrier between the contenders and the 12,000 foot depth. Not a single section of this marathon covers land.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2 dir="ltr">Dragon&rsquo;s Back Race</h2>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="589" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FDragonsBackRace%2Fphotos%2Fa.920681507988437.1073741835.184892204900708%2F920683774654877%2F%3Ftype%3D3&amp;width=500" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="500"></iframe></p>

<p dir="ltr">As cool as it sounds, this 5-day and 300-km-long castle to castle race covers 16,000 metres of wild, trackless, remote and mountainous terrain. There are checkpoints along the way, but how racers get to each one is their own voyage.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2 dir="ltr">6633 Ultra</h2>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>This is one of the most difficult ultramarathons in the world. One has to be a real daredevil to participate, let alone win this 350-mile race. 23 miles into the race, one enters the Arctic Circle. There onwards, participants drag their gear on sleds through the mountainous terrain, dealing with the chilly wind blowing at 200 km/h. &nbsp;Runners must complete the course in 8 days. As of 2016, only 19 people have been able to complete this brutal footrace in Canada&rsquo;s northern territory.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2 dir="ltr">Mount Everest Marathon</h2>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr">The Guinness Book of Records listed this one as the highest marathon in the world. The 42-km race commences from Gorak Shep at a height of 5184 meters (17,000 feet), close to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. The first one to make it to the Sherpa town of Namche Bazaar at 3446 meters (11,300 feet) is declared as the winner of this frigid competition.</p>

<p dir="ltr">(Contributions by : Shashwat Mittal and Devanshi Verma)</p>


Just reading about them can give you jitters

Most races are tests of speed and/or endurance. But there are some that go beyond that. These are gruelling experiences that only the most daring attempt. Here’s our list of the most challenging races that you can attempt if you wish to stray away from the beaten path: Patagonian Expedition Race The annual endurance race defines itself as an adventure at the end of the world. The 10-day event involves co-ed teams of four members each. The teams engage in trekking, sea kayaking, orienteering, and mountain biking. The race takes place on a different course each year, with competitors using a map and compass to navigate through an unknown terrain. The race aims to raise awareness about the fragile environment of Chilean Patagonia. It promotes the area’s unique and pristine wilderness, as well as its rich cultural heritage, as attractions for a viable sustainable tourism destination. Jungle Ultra It is 230-km race through the jungle trails, rugged mountain roads and village tracks. The participants make their way from Cloud Forest and down 10,500 feet to the Amazon jungle below - experiencing dense forests, diverse wildlife in this 5 stage event. Participants have to carry their own hammocks, sleeping bags and food for the entire race, replenishing water bottles only at base camp and checkpoints. Alaska Mountain Wilderness Challenge This adventure challenge started in 1982 as a 240-km wilderness expedition across various mountain ranges throughout Alaska. The most common form of transportation is by foot and packraft, although bicycles, skis and paragliders have been used by intrepid participants. Beginning in 2004, participants have been required to carry satellite phones to facilitate emergency rescues. Ironman Triathlon This one is beyond the calibre of any ordinarily fit people. You need to know how to swim, ride a bicycle and run. Doesn’t sound challenging enough? This one means swimming for 2.4 miles, cycling for 112 miles and running for 22 miles! Still sounds doable? Do all of this back-to-back, without a break! Bow down to the masterminds behind the race at the World Triathlon Corporation. North Pole Marathon This is recognized as the northernmost marathon on Earth by Guinness World Records. It is a run on a small, 4.2-km loop which is made of 12-feet thick frozen ice from the Arctic Ocean. Participants are required to run 10 rounds along the loop, with the frozen track being the only barrier between the contenders and the 12,000 foot depth. Not a single section of this marathon covers land. Dragon’s Back Race As cool as it sounds, this 5-day and 300-km-long castle to castle race covers 16,000 metres of wild, trackless, remote and mountainous terrain. There are checkpoints along the way, but how racers get to each one is their own voyage. 6633 Ultra This is one of the most difficult ultramarathons in the world. One has to be a real daredevil to participate, let alone win this 350-mile race. 23 miles into the race, one enters the Arctic Circle. There onwards, participants drag their gear on sleds through the mountainous terrain, dealing with the chilly wind blowing at 200 km/h. Runners must complete the course in 8 days. As of 2016, only 19 people have been able to complete this brutal footrace in Canada’s northern territory. Mount Everest Marathon The Guinness Book of Records listed this one as the highest marathon in the world. The 42-km race commences from Gorak Shep at a height of 5184 meters (17,000 feet), close to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. The first one to make it to the Sherpa town of Namche Bazaar at 3446 meters (11,300 feet) is declared as the winner of this frigid competition. (Contributions by : Shashwat Mittal and Devanshi Verma)

8 of the world's most gruelling races

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<p dir="ltr">Sufism is a mystical Islamic practice to find the truth of divine love &amp; knowledge that originated in around the 9th and 10th centuries.&nbsp;The most popular known tradition of Sufism is Sufi Whirling. From symbolic&nbsp;clothing to the unique body movements, everything about this dance has deep symbolism attached to it.</p>


Everything about Sufi Whirling has a deep spiritual meaning.

Sufism is a mystical Islamic practice to find the truth of divine love & knowledge that originated in around the 9th and 10th centuries. The most popular known tradition of Sufism is Sufi Whirling. From symbolic clothing to the unique body movements, everything about this dance has deep symbolism attached to it.

Video: The mystical and meditative dance of Sufism

<p>By Soumika Das</p>

<p>Home to infinite shrines dedicated to deities of various religions, India also has a number of unusal places of worship, which might be difficult for some to understand.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When we speak of the unusual temples or shrines, the Chinese Kali temple in India&rsquo;s eastern city of Kolkata is not far behind. Located in the heart of Kolkata&rsquo;s Chinatown or Tangra area, this temple of the Hindu goddess Kali, representing the power of destruction, is looked after by the dwindling ethnic Chinese community in the city.</p>

<p>Much before the rest of the city wakes up, the Chinese community in Tangra offer their prayers to the Hindu goddess sans any prejudice or religious discrimination.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As you walk along the narrow lanes of Tangra, surrounded by leather tanneries, budget restaurants run by the Chinese community, slaughter houses and shabby buildings, you will find a granite-walled building of the Chinese Kali temple in midst of all these.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This Chinatown in Kolkata is not like its swanky and colourful counterparts in other countries across the globe. It is marked by crumbling buildings, filthy roads and evokes a sense of cultural-assimilation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Behind the closed doors of the decaying buildings is the vast history of the Chinese community. Step inside, and you discover how this fading community is cherishing its tradition and past silently and quietly.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The more heart-warming feature is the community&rsquo;s tolerance towards other religions like Hinduism and Islam, as they co-exist with their brothers without any religious bias or complaints. The Chinese Kali temple is a symbol of this unique cross-cultural assimilation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;This site of worship was first discovered in 1942. The temple was not there in the beginning. There was a stone, smeared with vermilion that was considered to be spiritual by the Hindu community living here.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;As the story goes, once a 10-year-old Chinese boy was cured of his illness after his mother prayed before the stone. It was since then that the stone was worshipped by the Chinese people here.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Later, a Chinese family, who is currently residing in Canada, built this temple here and placed idols of goddess Kali inside it,&rdquo; said 60-year-old caretaker of the temple, Ison Chen. He was selected by the Chinese people in the area to look after the temple.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Dwindling Chinese traditions</strong></p>

<p>The idol of goddess Kali is similar to the ones found in Hindu temples across the country. The temple resembles any other place of worship for the Hindus.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A Hindu priest from the neighbourhood comes to worship the deity every morning. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a Chinese temple. There&rsquo;s no doubt about it. But, devotees follow the Hindu rituals to offer their prayers.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;However, there are some quaint Chinese customs that have crept in,&rdquo; said 45-year-old Laleswar, who runs a shop in front of the temple.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The temple looks Chinese only when the devotees from the ethnic community gather with red candles, hand-made papers and Chinese incense sticks to offer their prayers before the deity.</p>

<p>The manner in which they rotate the incense sticks in front of the goddess is different from the way the Hindus pray. Unlike the Hindu temples where the deity is offered fruits and sweets, the Chinese community here gives noodles and chopsuey to the goddess.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;We used to offer wine and noodles to the goddess. This was followed for a long time. But now, the community is fast vanishing. Today, the number of Chinese people living in Tangra has come down from 25,000 to 5,000. We offer our prayers on some selected days only like the Chinese new year, Diwali, etc,&rdquo; said local businessman from the community, Michael.</p>

<p>(WION)<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


At a time when the world is divided by conflicts, Kolkata?s Chinese Kali temple is an epitome of cultural amalgamation, reports Soumika Das

By Soumika Das Home to infinite shrines dedicated to deities of various religions, India also has a number of unusal places of worship, which might be difficult for some to understand. When we speak of the unusual temples or shrines, the Chinese Kali temple in India’s eastern city of Kolkata is not far behind. Located in the heart of Kolkata’s Chinatown or Tangra area, this temple of the Hindu goddess Kali, representing the power of destruction, is looked after by the dwindling ethnic Chinese community in the city. Much before the rest of the city wakes up, the Chinese community in Tangra offer their prayers to the Hindu goddess sans any prejudice or religious discrimination. As you walk along the narrow lanes of Tangra, surrounded by leather tanneries, budget restaurants run by the Chinese community, slaughter houses and shabby buildings, you will find a granite-walled building of the Chinese Kali temple in midst of all these. This Chinatown in Kolkata is not like its swanky and colourful counterparts in other countries across the globe. It is marked by crumbling buildings, filthy roads and evokes a sense of cultural-assimilation. Behind the closed doors of the decaying buildings is the vast history of the Chinese community. Step inside, and you discover how this fading community is cherishing its tradition and past silently and quietly. The more heart-warming feature is the community’s tolerance towards other religions like Hinduism and Islam, as they co-exist with their brothers without any religious bias or complaints. The Chinese Kali temple is a symbol of this unique cross-cultural assimilation. “This site of worship was first discovered in 1942. The temple was not there in the beginning. There was a stone, smeared with vermilion that was considered to be spiritual by the Hindu community living here." "As the story goes, once a 10-year-old Chinese boy was cured of his illness after his mother prayed before the stone. It was since then that the stone was worshipped by the Chinese people here." "Later, a Chinese family, who is currently residing in Canada, built this temple here and placed idols of goddess Kali inside it,” said 60-year-old caretaker of the temple, Ison Chen. He was selected by the Chinese people in the area to look after the temple. Dwindling Chinese traditions The idol of goddess Kali is similar to the ones found in Hindu temples across the country. The temple resembles any other place of worship for the Hindus. A Hindu priest from the neighbourhood comes to worship the deity every morning. “It’s a Chinese temple. There’s no doubt about it. But, devotees follow the Hindu rituals to offer their prayers." "However, there are some quaint Chinese customs that have crept in,” said 45-year-old Laleswar, who runs a shop in front of the temple. The temple looks Chinese only when the devotees from the ethnic community gather with red candles, hand-made papers and Chinese incense sticks to offer their prayers before the deity. The manner in which they rotate the incense sticks in front of the goddess is different from the way the Hindus pray. Unlike the Hindu temples where the deity is offered fruits and sweets, the Chinese community here gives noodles and chopsuey to the goddess. “We used to offer wine and noodles to the goddess. This was followed for a long time. But now, the community is fast vanishing. Today, the number of Chinese people living in Tangra has come down from 25,000 to 5,000. We offer our prayers on some selected days only like the Chinese new year, Diwali, etc,” said local businessman from the community, Michael. (WION)

Chinese devotees worship Hindu deity in eastern India

<p>Islam is the official religion of Afghanistan,&nbsp;practiced by over 99 per cent of&nbsp;citizens. Apart from Muslim, there are&nbsp;Sikh&nbsp;and Hindu&nbsp;communities&nbsp;as well.&nbsp;However,&nbsp;most other communities left the country during the times&nbsp;of war and&nbsp;migrated&nbsp;to India and other nations.&nbsp;In&nbsp;1994, the country&nbsp;became the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from the earlier Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, which imposed fierce religious rules and restrictions on the citizens. As per the Constitiution of Afghanistan,&nbsp;Article Three states that&nbsp;no law shall contravene the tenets and provisions of the holy religion of Islam in Afghanistan. &nbsp;</p>

<p>An Afghan girl reads the Quran at a mosque in Kabul,&nbsp;during the holy month of Ramadan.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/16-20161103071737.jpg" />
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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<p>An elder Afghan devotee&nbsp;prays at the biggest mosque of Kabul, Eid Gah.</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<p>Afghan women pray during Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Herat.</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<p>Afghan Muslims wash themselves before attending prayers on the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at the Paul-e-Khishtee mosque in Kabul.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<p>Afghan girls offering prayers at a mosque during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Kandahar.</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<p>An Afghan elderly man reads the Quran during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at a mosque in Herat province.</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<p>Sikh devotees perform prayers before a gathering with former Afghan&nbsp;foreign affairs minister at a Sikh temple in Kabul.</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<p>Afghan men sit on the ground waiting for Eid al-Adha prayers to commence&nbsp;at the Shah-e Do Shamshira mosque in Kabul.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<p>An Afghan man prays at the mosque during the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan in Herat province.</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<p>Afghan men offer Eid-al-Adha prayers at the Eid Gah Mosque in Kabul. Afghans have started celebrating Eid al-Adha or the Feast of&nbsp;Sacrifice.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<p>Afghan children study the Quran during a lesson at a mosque in Ghazni.</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


The religious traditions of Islam in Afghaistan

Islam is the official religion of Afghanistan, practiced by over 99 per cent of citizens. Apart from Muslim, there are Sikh and Hindu communities as well. However, most other communities left the country during the times of war and migrated to India and other nations. In 1994, the country became the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from the earlier Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, which imposed fierce religious rules and restrictions on the citizens. As per the Constitiution of Afghanistan, Article Three states that no law shall contravene the tenets and provisions of the holy religion of Islam in Afghanistan. An Afghan girl reads the Quran at a mosque in Kabul, during the holy month of Ramadan. Source (AFP) × An elder Afghan devotee prays at the biggest mosque of Kabul, Eid Gah. Source (AFP) × Afghan women pray during Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in Herat. Source (AFP) × Afghan Muslims wash themselves before attending prayers on the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at the Paul-e-Khishtee mosque in Kabul. Source (AFP) × Afghan girls offering prayers at a mosque during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Kandahar. Source (AFP) × An Afghan elderly man reads the Quran during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at a mosque in Herat province. Source (AFP) × Sikh devotees perform prayers before a gathering with former Afghan foreign affairs minister at a Sikh temple in Kabul. Source (AFP) × Afghan men sit on the ground waiting for Eid al-Adha prayers to commence at the Shah-e Do Shamshira mosque in Kabul. Source (AFP) × An Afghan man prays at the mosque during the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan in Herat province. Source (AFP) × Afghan men offer Eid-al-Adha prayers at the Eid Gah Mosque in Kabul. Afghans have started celebrating Eid al-Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice. Source (AFP) × Afghan children study the Quran during a lesson at a mosque in Ghazni. Source (AFP) ×

The main religion of Afghanistan: Islam

<p paraeid="{49d2a741-1fe5-41a8-9432-89efc1c7ecaf}{134}" paraid="1899260846">Chinese security forces are ignoring international borders to make regular patrols deep inside eastern Afghanistan, according to sources in the area.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{49d2a741-1fe5-41a8-9432-89efc1c7ecaf}{134}" paraid="1899260846">In exclusive pictures obtained by WION, Chinese-manufactured military vehicles can be seen patrolling in the country&#39;s far eastern Little Pamir region.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{49d2a741-1fe5-41a8-9432-89efc1c7ecaf}{134}" paraid="1899260846">The slim finger of Afghan territory borders China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and India&#39;s Jammu and Kashmir state. It is a remote, sparsely-populated area home to the minority Shia Ismaili community and little in the way of representation from the government in Kabul.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{49d2a741-1fe5-41a8-9432-89efc1c7ecaf}{188}" paraid="354657543"><img id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_editpreview" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/map-20161027115721.jpg" /></p>

<p paraeid="{49d2a741-1fe5-41a8-9432-89efc1c7ecaf}{198}" paraid="1688398149">WION could not independently verify whether the photographs show Chinese People&#39;s Liberation Army (PLA) or private security vehicles, but eyewitnesses in the region accuse the Chinese military of direct involvement.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{49d2a741-1fe5-41a8-9432-89efc1c7ecaf}{198}" paraid="1688398149">If the reports are accurate, Chinese security forces could be guilty of a serious breach of international law.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{49d2a741-1fe5-41a8-9432-89efc1c7ecaf}{198}" paraid="1688398149">Despite repeated attempts by WION to contact him, a spokesperson for Afghanistan&#39;s president did not respond. The Chinese embassy in New Delhi also refused to comment.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{62edf0a6-49eb-4fcb-8664-67ba7f47fc76}{162}" paraid="1609562045" ><strong>Chinese-manufactured vehicles</strong></p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{62edf0a6-49eb-4fcb-8664-67ba7f47fc76}{162}" paraid="1609562045" >Independent military analysts confirmed the images show Chinese-manufactured military vehicles. &nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{49d2a741-1fe5-41a8-9432-89efc1c7ecaf}{234}" paraid="298158729">&#39;&#39;The pictures show Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) and Humvee-type vehicles. Both appear to be Chinese versions of common Western armoured vehicles,&#39;&#39; said Justin Bronk, a Senior Analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{49d2a741-1fe5-41a8-9432-89efc1c7ecaf}{234}" paraid="298158729">&#39;&#39;The Humvee-type vehicle is very identifiable as a Mengshi 4x4, also known as the Dongfeng EQ 2050 (see picture&nbsp;below). They have very distinctive markings on the doors which are absent from US-manufactured Humvees,&#39;&#39; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{9}" paraid="555663623"><img id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_editpreview" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/afg%203-20161027120611.JPG" /></p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{9}" paraid="555663623">&#39;&#39;MRAPs are trickier to identify. The arrangement of the windows and spare tyre varies depending on the customer and precise sub-model. But the hub cap design in these pictures does fit with the Norinco VP 11 (see picture below),&#39;&#39; Mr&nbsp;Bronk added.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{31}" paraid="958868566"><img id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_editpreview" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/afg%2012-20161027122835.JPG" /></p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{38}" paraid="490140450">Dongfeng and Norinco are both military vehicle manufacturers based in China.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{38}" paraid="490140450">Mr Bronk also confirmed that the vehicles are currently in active service in the PLA. Another military analyst from RUSI, Dr&nbsp;Igor Sutyagin, backed up his analysis of the images.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{62edf0a6-49eb-4fcb-8664-67ba7f47fc76}{168}" paraid="2075212632" ><strong>People&#39;s&nbsp;Liberation Army&nbsp;patrols&nbsp;Little Pamir</strong></p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{62edf0a6-49eb-4fcb-8664-67ba7f47fc76}{168}" paraid="2075212632" >From the photographs alone, analysts could not confirm whether the Chinese-manufactured vehicles belong to the PLA itself.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{62edf0a6-49eb-4fcb-8664-67ba7f47fc76}{168}" paraid="2075212632" >While the Afghan National Army is mostly equipped with US&nbsp;hardware, military analysts say they could be replacing destroyed vehicles with cheaper Chinese models. China also recently pledged to provide equipment to Afghanistan&#39;s border police.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{62edf0a6-49eb-4fcb-8664-67ba7f47fc76}{168}" paraid="2075212632" >But sources inside the region say the PLA enter Little Pamir twice a month through Tajikistan. The troops reportedly stay in a local school in Bozai Gumbaz and are barred from speaking to local Afghan citizens.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{75}" paraid="466765286"><img id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_editpreview" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/afg%204-20161027123259.JPG" /></p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{95}" paraid="695459527"><br />
The exact motivations behind the patrols are not known but Chinese firms hold key mining concessions across Afghanistan. The Mes Aynak copper mine in the Logar province has been hit by repeated delays and security concerns.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{95}" paraid="695459527">Control over its western frontier is also a key security concern for the land-focused Chinese military. In recent years, China has been nervous about the East Turkestan Islamic Movement&#39;s activities in its western Xinjiang province and the wider region.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{95}" paraid="695459527">Kabul has an agreement with China and Tajikistan clarifying borders in the Little Pamir region. According to the Xinhua news agency, foreign ministers from the three governments signed the deal in Beijing in June 2012.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{95}" paraid="695459527">But the two countries have no public agreement to perform training exercises or war games on each other&#39;s soil.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{95}" paraid="695459527">&#39;&#39;China has conducted various diplomatic overtures particularly with regards to mining concessions in Afghanistan, but, to the best of my knowledge, there isn&#39;t an established arrangement of that type,&#39;&#39; said Mr Bronk from RUSI.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{95}" paraid="695459527">By crossing into Afghanistan, the Chinese military or private security companies could, therefore, be in breach of international law.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{95}" paraid="695459527"><strong>Beijing&#39;s aggressive foreign policy in Asia</strong></p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{182}" paraid="1816971619">After decades of inward-looking foreign policy, China has ruffled diplomatic feathers with its aggressive claims in the South China Sea. &nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{182}" paraid="1816971619">And Beijing&#39;s ambitions are not restricted to maritime activity. In India, Chinese troops have been accused of repeated incursions on the Ladakh plateau in the Himalayas.</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{182}" paraid="1816971619">With Afghanistan struggling to contain the Taliban in the Kunduz province, the government now faces increased Chinese activity on its porous eastern border.&nbsp;</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{182}" paraid="1816971619">The Wakhan Corridor may be a remote, desolate part of the world, but Chinese expansion in the region will not go unnoticed by neighbouring India, Pakistan and Tajikistan.</p>

<p paraeid="{14c48ebf-46cb-47fc-be27-fbfa863c48df}{182}" paraid="1816971619">(With additional reporting by Mandy Clark from London)&nbsp;</p>


In exclusive pictures obtained by WION, Chinese security forces can be seen in the country's far eastern Little Pamir region

Chinese security forces are ignoring international borders to make regular patrols deep inside eastern Afghanistan, according to sources in the area. In exclusive pictures obtained by WION, Chinese-manufactured military vehicles can be seen patrolling in the country's far eastern Little Pamir region. The slim finger of Afghan territory borders China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and India's Jammu and Kashmir state. It is a remote, sparsely-populated area home to the minority Shia Ismaili community and little in the way of representation from the government in Kabul. WION could not independently verify whether the photographs show Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) or private security vehicles, but eyewitnesses in the region accuse the Chinese military of direct involvement. If the reports are accurate, Chinese security forces could be guilty of a serious breach of international law. Despite repeated attempts by WION to contact him, a spokesperson for Afghanistan's president did not respond. The Chinese embassy in New Delhi also refused to comment. Chinese-manufactured vehicles Independent military analysts confirmed the images show Chinese-manufactured military vehicles. ''The pictures show Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) and Humvee-type vehicles. Both appear to be Chinese versions of common Western armoured vehicles,'' said Justin Bronk, a Senior Analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London. ''The Humvee-type vehicle is very identifiable as a Mengshi 4x4, also known as the Dongfeng EQ 2050 (see picture below). They have very distinctive markings on the doors which are absent from US-manufactured Humvees,'' he said. ''MRAPs are trickier to identify. The arrangement of the windows and spare tyre varies depending on the customer and precise sub-model. But the hub cap design in these pictures does fit with the Norinco VP 11 (see picture below),'' Mr Bronk added. Dongfeng and Norinco are both military vehicle manufacturers based in China. Mr Bronk also confirmed that the vehicles are currently in active service in the PLA. Another military analyst from RUSI, Dr Igor Sutyagin, backed up his analysis of the images. People's Liberation Army patrols Little Pamir From the photographs alone, analysts could not confirm whether the Chinese-manufactured vehicles belong to the PLA itself. While the Afghan National Army is mostly equipped with US hardware, military analysts say they could be replacing destroyed vehicles with cheaper Chinese models. China also recently pledged to provide equipment to Afghanistan's border police. But sources inside the region say the PLA enter Little Pamir twice a month through Tajikistan. The troops reportedly stay in a local school in Bozai Gumbaz and are barred from speaking to local Afghan citizens. The exact motivations behind the patrols are not known but Chinese firms hold key mining concessions across Afghanistan. The Mes Aynak copper mine in the Logar province has been hit by repeated delays and security concerns. Control over its western frontier is also a key security concern for the land-focused Chinese military. In recent years, China has been nervous about the East Turkestan Islamic Movement's activities in its western Xinjiang province and the wider region. Kabul has an agreement with China and Tajikistan clarifying borders in the Little Pamir region. According to the Xinhua news agency, foreign ministers from the three governments signed the deal in Beijing in June 2012. But the two countries have no public agreement to perform training exercises or war games on each other's soil. ''China has conducted various diplomatic overtures particularly with regards to mining concessions in Afghanistan, but, to the best of my knowledge, there isn't an established arrangement of that type,'' said Mr Bronk from RUSI. By crossing into Afghanistan, the Chinese military or private security companies could, therefore, be in breach of international law. Beijing's aggressive foreign policy in Asia After decades of inward-looking foreign policy, China has ruffled diplomatic feathers with its aggressive claims in the South China Sea. And Beijing's ambitions are not restricted to maritime activity. In India, Chinese troops have been accused of repeated incursions on the Ladakh plateau in the Himalayas. With Afghanistan struggling to contain the Taliban in the Kunduz province, the government now faces increased Chinese activity on its porous eastern border. The Wakhan Corridor may be a remote, desolate part of the world, but Chinese expansion in the region will not go unnoticed by neighbouring India, Pakistan and Tajikistan. (With additional reporting by Mandy Clark from London)

Exclusive: Chinese security forces caught patrolling deep inside eastern Afghanistan

<h2>Hazrat-i- Ali shrine in Mazar-i Sharif&nbsp;</h2>

<p>An Afghan boy feeds pigeons at the Hazrat-i- Ali shrine in Mazar-i Sharif .</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<h2>Shahe Do Shamshira shrine in Kabul</h2>

<p>Afghans pose for photographs in front of the Shahe Do Shamshira shrine in Kabul.</p>

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<h2>Shahe Do Shamshira shrine in Kabul</h2>

<p>An Afghan resident, one of hundreds who come to feed pigeons in front of the Shah-Do-Shamshira Mosque daily, throws corn kernels to birds outside the shrine in Kabul .</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<h2>Khoja Abu Nasr Parsa &nbsp;in&nbsp;Balkh city&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Afghan visitors leave the shrine of Khoja Abu Nasr Parsa on the ruins of the ancient city of Balkh, located outside the northern Afghan town of Mazar-i-Sharif .</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<h2>shrine of Hazrat Alli&nbsp;in North Kabul</h2>

<p>An Afghan man kisses a pole for blessing at the shrine of Hazrat Alli&nbsp;in North Kabul&nbsp;.</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<h2>Hazrat-e Ali shrine, or &#39;Blue Mosque&#39; in&nbsp;Mazar-e Sharif</h2>

<p>Afghan families visit and gather in the courtyard of Hazrat-e Ali shrine, or &#39;Blue Mosque&#39; in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif .&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Khaja Abdullah Ansari shrine in Herat&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Afghan men pray at the the shrine of the famous 11th Century Sufi poet and mystic philosopher, the Khaja Abdullah Ansari shrine on the outskirts of Herat . Herat is famous for its archaeological monuments.&nbsp;</p>

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<h2>Hazrat-e-Farooq mosque in Kandahar city</h2>

<p>An Afghan woman walks with a child along a street in front of the Hazrat-e-Farooq mosque in Kandahar city .</p>

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<h2>Wazir Akbar Khan Mosque in Kabul&nbsp;</h2>

<p>An Afghan resident takes &#39;iftar&#39; as he breaks his fast on the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at the Wazir Akbar Khan Mosque .</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<h2>Sakhi Shrine in Kabul</h2>

<p>Afghan burqa-clad women visit The Karte Sakhi Shrine in Kabul . &nbsp;</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<h2>Eidga mosque in Kabul</h2>

<p>Afghan Muslims prepare to break their fast with the free evening meal during Iftar at the Eidga mosque in Kabul.&nbsp;during the Islamic month of Ramadan.&nbsp;</p>

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<h2>Ali Shrine in&nbsp;Mazar-i-Sharif City&nbsp;</h2>

<p>&nbsp;shows Afghan men and women at the Ali Shrine in the northern town of Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province.</p>

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<p>Source (AFP)</p>
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<h2>Eidgah mosque in Kabul</h2>

<p>An Afghan man runs in front of Eidgah mosque in Kabul.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Hazrat-i- Ali shrine in Mazar-i Sharif An Afghan boy feeds pigeons at the Hazrat-i- Ali shrine in Mazar-i Sharif . Source (AFP) × Shahe Do Shamshira shrine in Kabul Afghans pose for photographs in front of the Shahe Do Shamshira shrine in Kabul. Source (AFP) × Shahe Do Shamshira shrine in Kabul An Afghan resident, one of hundreds who come to feed pigeons in front of the Shah-Do-Shamshira Mosque daily, throws corn kernels to birds outside the shrine in Kabul . Source (AFP) × Khoja Abu Nasr Parsa in Balkh city Afghan visitors leave the shrine of Khoja Abu Nasr Parsa on the ruins of the ancient city of Balkh, located outside the northern Afghan town of Mazar-i-Sharif . Source (AFP) × shrine of Hazrat Alli in North Kabul An Afghan man kisses a pole for blessing at the shrine of Hazrat Alli in North Kabul . Source (AFP) × Hazrat-e Ali shrine, or 'Blue Mosque' in Mazar-e Sharif Afghan families visit and gather in the courtyard of Hazrat-e Ali shrine, or 'Blue Mosque' in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif . Source (AFP) × Khaja Abdullah Ansari shrine in Herat Afghan men pray at the the shrine of the famous 11th Century Sufi poet and mystic philosopher, the Khaja Abdullah Ansari shrine on the outskirts of Herat . Herat is famous for its archaeological monuments. Source (AFP) × Hazrat-e-Farooq mosque in Kandahar city An Afghan woman walks with a child along a street in front of the Hazrat-e-Farooq mosque in Kandahar city . Source (AFP) × Wazir Akbar Khan Mosque in Kabul An Afghan resident takes 'iftar' as he breaks his fast on the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at the Wazir Akbar Khan Mosque . Source (AFP) × Sakhi Shrine in Kabul Afghan burqa-clad women visit The Karte Sakhi Shrine in Kabul . Source (AFP) × Eidga mosque in Kabul Afghan Muslims prepare to break their fast with the free evening meal during Iftar at the Eidga mosque in Kabul. during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Source (AFP) × Ali Shrine in Mazar-i-Sharif City shows Afghan men and women at the Ali Shrine in the northern town of Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province. Source (AFP) × Eidgah mosque in Kabul An Afghan man runs in front of Eidgah mosque in Kabul. Source (AFP) ×

Afghanistan Islamic mosque

<p>The Mosul offensive, arguably one of the most important military attacks in the past five years in Western Asia, is approaching. It is most likely only&nbsp;days before the Iraqi Prime Minister orders its forces to advance towards the de facto capital of the Islamic State in Iraq. Everything seems to be ready and coordinated except one thing: the role of Turkey.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Turkey&#39;s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is willing to deploy&nbsp;troops to&nbsp;attack&nbsp;Mosul, whatever the cost. Iraqi&nbsp;Prime Minister&nbsp;Haider al-Habadi, who is also the Iraqi army&#39;s commander-in-chief, does not share the same idea. Recently, he&nbsp;defined Turkish troops as an &ldquo;occupying force&rdquo;. Tones of the dispute are heated.&nbsp;Erdogan, speaking at&nbsp;the ninth Eurasian Islamic Council in Istanbul, told the Iraqi Prime Minister,&nbsp;&ldquo;know your place&rdquo; and &ldquo;you are not my interlocutor, you are not at my level&rdquo;. The two countries have withdrawn their respective ambassadors for consultation.</p>

<p>Ankara&rsquo;s military presence does not come out of the blue.&nbsp;Turkish forces have been located in Iraqi Kurdistan&nbsp;on the basis of an agreement with Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani. In the past few years, Barzani&nbsp;has become&nbsp;the main interlocutor and advocate of a Turkish presence in the region, especially due to the volume of investments Ankara is undertaking in the territories he administers.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Erdogan considers the right to participate in the battle of Mosul as the natural right of Turkey to fight against the Islamic State, but this seems&nbsp;more of a pretext for a renewed activism of the Turkish President, who aims to become a major power,&nbsp;if not <em>the </em>major power,&nbsp;in Western Asia.</p>

<p>After the failed coup, Erdogan needs&nbsp;to project an image of strength in order to stabilise his position both on the national and international stage. It is no secret that the purges against more than 100,000 workers&nbsp;have contributed in worsening Turkey&rsquo;s international reputation.</p>

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<h5>Erdogan, speaking at&nbsp;the ninth Eurasian Islamic Council in Istanbul, told the Iraqi Prime Minister,&nbsp;&ldquo;know your place&rdquo; and &ldquo;you are not my interlocutor, you are not at my level&rdquo;.</h5>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Repression has been particularly tough in Turkey&rsquo;s south-east&nbsp;where a majority of Kurds live.&nbsp;The iron-fist&nbsp;Erdogan is showing the Iraqi Prime Minister is part of a series of Turkish aggressive initiatives, starting&nbsp;with the purge.</p>

<p>A month after the coup, Turkey launched operation Euphrates Shield in order to secure the last 95 kilometres&nbsp;of Syrian border under Islamic State control, an action which was presented as a major success. Too few asked themselves what took so long to secure such a small area which was commonly known as the &ldquo;terror corridor&rdquo; and from which foreign fighters, supplies, oil and ammunitions kept going and coming from IS territories.</p>

<p>Erdogan&rsquo;s offensive began soon after the Kurdish militias, known as the People&rsquo;s Protection Units (YPG), crossed the western banks of the Euphrates river, the red line Ankara established for them. That very segment of border&nbsp;divides the Kurdish-controlled region of Rojava in north Syria and the Kurdish-controlled area of Afrin, in north-west Syria. Turkey wanted to&nbsp;secure&nbsp;it&nbsp;to avoid an autonomous Kurdish area right across the border, and President Erdogan made it clear then that the war will not end until every terrorist organisation, including the YPG and the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), is defeated. Turkey&nbsp;directly links the YPG with the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), an organisation they classify as terrorists, against&nbsp;whom they fought a three-decade guerrilla war.</p>

<p>Soon after the operation, Turkish forces and Turkish-backed&nbsp;rebels of the undefined Islamist assortment under the name of Free Syrian Army, started fighting against the Kurds, forcing them to retreat.</p>

<p>This created diplomatic problems with the Department of State, which was a direct ally of the Syrian Kurds, with whom they liberated a significant part of Northern Syria and important cities like Kobane and Manbij from the IS.</p>

<p>The situation paved the way for Russia that is also using the Syrian civil war to renew its presence in Western Asia. During their last meeting in Istanbul on October 10, Russia&rsquo;s President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Erdogan agreed to normalise relations, which became tense after the Turkish forces shot down a Russian jet in November 2015. They signed an agreement to build two gas pipelines&nbsp;and other trade agreements which will help Russia to overcome the EU sanctions.</p>

<p>Another reason for Turkey to insist on keeping their troops in Iraqi Kurdistan is the presence of the PKK in the Qandil mountains. Turkey&#39;s&nbsp;air force is constantly bombing the area behind the Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, close to the Iranian border, where the PKK has its headquarters. Airstrikes were registered less than three days ago.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The conflict between Ankara and the Kurdish Workers&#39; Party is another phenomenon the Iraqi Prime Minister wants to eradicate from his territory, and an additional reason to ask Ankara to withdraw its troops. Al-Habadi declared at the end of September that &ldquo;Iraq is not a place for the PKK and Turkey&rsquo;s struggle&rdquo;.</p>

<p>Deteriorating relations between Turkey and the Iraqi central government could result&nbsp;in the delaying of the Mosul offensive which is a symbol of the war against Islamic State in Syria in Iraq. A highly fragmented conflict, made of wars-within-the-wars where regional powers, ethnic groups and political parties use the fight against the Islamic State as a pretext to increase their military presence and areas of influence on the ground.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


While an international coalition prepares to attack IS's Iraqi base, Mosul, Turkey's diplomatic fight with Iraq could delay things

The Mosul offensive, arguably one of the most important military attacks in the past five years in Western Asia, is approaching. It is most likely only days before the Iraqi Prime Minister orders its forces to advance towards the de facto capital of the Islamic State in Iraq. Everything seems to be ready and coordinated except one thing: the role of Turkey. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is willing to deploy troops to attack Mosul, whatever the cost. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Habadi, who is also the Iraqi army's commander-in-chief, does not share the same idea. Recently, he defined Turkish troops as an “occupying force”. Tones of the dispute are heated. Erdogan, speaking at the ninth Eurasian Islamic Council in Istanbul, told the Iraqi Prime Minister, “know your place” and “you are not my interlocutor, you are not at my level”. The two countries have withdrawn their respective ambassadors for consultation. Ankara’s military presence does not come out of the blue. Turkish forces have been located in Iraqi Kurdistan on the basis of an agreement with Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani. In the past few years, Barzani has become the main interlocutor and advocate of a Turkish presence in the region, especially due to the volume of investments Ankara is undertaking in the territories he administers. Erdogan considers the right to participate in the battle of Mosul as the natural right of Turkey to fight against the Islamic State, but this seems more of a pretext for a renewed activism of the Turkish President, who aims to become a major power, if not the major power, in Western Asia. After the failed coup, Erdogan needs to project an image of strength in order to stabilise his position both on the national and international stage. It is no secret that the purges against more than 100,000 workers have contributed in worsening Turkey’s international reputation. Erdogan, speaking at the ninth Eurasian Islamic Council in Istanbul, told the Iraqi Prime Minister, “know your place” and “you are not my interlocutor, you are not at my level”. × Repression has been particularly tough in Turkey’s south-east where a majority of Kurds live. The iron-fist Erdogan is showing the Iraqi Prime Minister is part of a series of Turkish aggressive initiatives, starting with the purge. A month after the coup, Turkey launched operation Euphrates Shield in order to secure the last 95 kilometres of Syrian border under Islamic State control, an action which was presented as a major success. Too few asked themselves what took so long to secure such a small area which was commonly known as the “terror corridor” and from which foreign fighters, supplies, oil and ammunitions kept going and coming from IS territories. Erdogan’s offensive began soon after the Kurdish militias, known as the People’s Protection Units (YPG), crossed the western banks of the Euphrates river, the red line Ankara established for them. That very segment of border divides the Kurdish-controlled region of Rojava in north Syria and the Kurdish-controlled area of Afrin, in north-west Syria. Turkey wanted to secure it to avoid an autonomous Kurdish area right across the border, and President Erdogan made it clear then that the war will not end until every terrorist organisation, including the YPG and the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), is defeated. Turkey directly links the YPG with the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), an organisation they classify as terrorists, against whom they fought a three-decade guerrilla war. Soon after the operation, Turkish forces and Turkish-backed rebels of the undefined Islamist assortment under the name of Free Syrian Army, started fighting against the Kurds, forcing them to retreat. This created diplomatic problems with the Department of State, which was a direct ally of the Syrian Kurds, with whom they liberated a significant part of Northern Syria and important cities like Kobane and Manbij from the IS. The situation paved the way for Russia that is also using the Syrian civil war to renew its presence in Western Asia. During their last meeting in Istanbul on October 10, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Erdogan agreed to normalise relations, which became tense after the Turkish forces shot down a Russian jet in November 2015. They signed an agreement to build two gas pipelines and other trade agreements which will help Russia to overcome the EU sanctions. Another reason for Turkey to insist on keeping their troops in Iraqi Kurdistan is the presence of the PKK in the Qandil mountains. Turkey's air force is constantly bombing the area behind the Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, close to the Iranian border, where the PKK has its headquarters. Airstrikes were registered less than three days ago. The conflict between Ankara and the Kurdish Workers' Party is another phenomenon the Iraqi Prime Minister wants to eradicate from his territory, and an additional reason to ask Ankara to withdraw its troops. Al-Habadi declared at the end of September that “Iraq is not a place for the PKK and Turkey’s struggle”. Deteriorating relations between Turkey and the Iraqi central government could result in the delaying of the Mosul offensive which is a symbol of the war against Islamic State in Syria in Iraq. A highly fragmented conflict, made of wars-within-the-wars where regional powers, ethnic groups and political parties use the fight against the Islamic State as a pretext to increase their military presence and areas of influence on the ground. (WION)

Turkey's parallel war in Iraq and Syria

<p>&ldquo;Interesting question, and you might be surprised about the answer that you will receive here. I had no sympathy for Saddam Hussein, but I can&rsquo;t really say I am doing good now that he is gone. At least, when he was there, there was only one Saddam. Now every city has its own Saddam who wants to rule,&rdquo;&nbsp;Belan Shnanie tells me during a flight.</p>

<p>He worked in the UK for many years for a major oil company, and then decided to return&nbsp;to his hometown Erbil, capital city of Iraq&rsquo;s Kurdistan, to start his&nbsp;own business. &ldquo;Things are pretty slow now,&rdquo; he says.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Are we speaking about the same Saddam who persecuted all opponents on the sole base of their political and ethnical belonging for years, using torture, murder and random imprisonment?&rdquo; I ask.<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;Yes, we are. Look, I am Kurd and my father died because of Saddam, but I would not be honest if I say that things are better now. We have the same problems, the same inter-ethnic tensions, but less money and no one truly entitled to rule.&rdquo; &nbsp;</p>

<p>This was just the first expression of&nbsp;an idea that I found,&nbsp;not without a certain surprise,&nbsp;to be extremely common in Iraqi Kurdistan, a region known for its historical struggle for independence from the Iraqi state.</p>

<p>Kurds were&nbsp;heavily persecuted by Saddam&rsquo;s paramilitary forces during his regime, and many can&#39;t forget the massacre of Halabja in 1988, when chemical weapons&nbsp;killed more than 4,000 people. Nevertheless, an uncertain future and an unstable present risk to overcome historical memory.</p>

<p>One casual answer is never representative, so&nbsp;I decided to ask&nbsp;this very question to every&nbsp;local citizen&nbsp;I met.&nbsp;&ldquo;Do you think Saddam Hussain was a better option than the present situation?&rdquo;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Yes, of course,&rdquo; says Mahmud while driving his taxi. &ldquo;I am a school teacher. Now you tell me in which country a school teacher drives a taxi? I have to drive this car because the government did not pay my salary as a teacher for the last four months, and I have a family to feed. I eat only at dinner to save money for them.&rdquo; Mahmud&rsquo;s situation is not unique;&nbsp;he took part in&nbsp;a protest held&nbsp;on September 26 across&nbsp;Iraqi Kurdistan, where&nbsp;thousands of teachers and government employees took to the streets to claim their unpaid salaries.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Mahmud you look around fifty years old. You lived during Saddam Hussain as a Kurd, as a repressed minority, and still you think he was better?&rdquo;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Yes, at least he paid my salary.&rdquo;</p>

<p>As a journalist, I must specify that&nbsp;any&nbsp;number of street interactions still amounts to anecdotal evidence, and so&nbsp;cannot claim to represent the&nbsp;people&#39;s consensus.&nbsp;Entire sections of the Iraqi population&nbsp;actively fight&nbsp;for a democratic state and have no intention of going&nbsp;back to the&nbsp;previous form of government. The current president, Masoud Barzani, has been regularly voted and elected. Kurds are actively fighting the Islamic State, and its sectarian,&nbsp;violent ideals in Syria&rsquo;s Rojava and in all the countries where they have a foothold.</p>

<p>I must say though, again as a journalist, that among the great majority of the people I have been speaking to along the streets of Erbil, the most common answer has been: &ldquo;Yes, Saddam was a dictator and did bad things, but at least the economy was good and we did not have to worry about our salary.&rdquo;</p>

<p>The surprising part is that I received such an answer both by Arabs and Kurds.</p>

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<h5>I don&rsquo;t really care about democracy and freedom, I care about food for my children and a salary in my bank.</h5>
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<p>It reminds of&nbsp;the many neo-fascists groups active in Europe, and the increasing appeal they have on a society suffering the&nbsp;long-term&nbsp;effects from&nbsp;the&nbsp;economic crisis.</p>

<p>A society who does not trust&nbsp;its political class&nbsp;expresses&nbsp;frustrations on the&nbsp;many Facebook pages, singing the praises of the repressive and fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini for being&nbsp;an honest man who knew how to rule a country.</p>

<p>&ldquo;You have to understand that for a big part of the young Iraqi generations who have not lived under Saddam, memory does not play a role,&rdquo; says&nbsp;a young educated man&nbsp;in his twenties who asked to&nbsp;remain anonymous. &ldquo;We only know that now we have problems and we think that before there were no problems. This is true for many young Arabs, like me, who perceive&nbsp;Saddam&rsquo;s past as a period of grandeur, and his toppling only as another move made by the West to destabilise the area. Many of us think that war is not the problem, but politics is, and the politicians are all corrupt.&rdquo;</p>

<p>This is another leitmotif among the answers: politicians are all corrupt, a belief which generates a significant mistrust toward the political class. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is frightening where the lack of&nbsp;stability and&nbsp;secure livelihoods can lead. This nostalgia of an authoritarian, repressive and criminal regime is mainly connected to that, to the idealisation of a past which seems much better than a turbulent present. A human and totally understandable necessity of a salary, a house, food on the table directly affects&nbsp;people&#39;s political&nbsp;perception. In harsh situations - be it war, natural catastrophes or monetary crisis - liberty, freedom of thought, religion and press become secondary options which many are ready to drop in favour of&nbsp;economic stability.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This paves the way to whatever political group becomes able to provide an acceptable livelihood, to guarantee a salary and some food on your table. This is one of the aspects that make the Islamic State an acceptable form of government for entire sections of a society, a dynamic which IS knows well and uses it in its favour.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Frustration, economic difficulties, mistrust towards elected politicians and corruption have been constant elements used to achieve power by almost all the totalitarian regimes of the 20th&nbsp;century.&nbsp;</p>

<p>All together, they generate dangerous and reactionary attitudes which glorify the idea of a &ldquo;perfect past&rdquo; that in reality never existed, thus fuelling authoritarian temptations. An attitude clearly summed up by a banal and, for this&nbsp;democratic European&nbsp;writer, scary sentence, which Mahmud told me before shaking my hand outside the taxi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really care about democracy and freedom, I care about food for my children and a salary in my bank.&rdquo;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


In the streets of Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan's capital, many consider Saddam Hussein's reign preferable to the uncertainty of today

“Interesting question, and you might be surprised about the answer that you will receive here. I had no sympathy for Saddam Hussein, but I can’t really say I am doing good now that he is gone. At least, when he was there, there was only one Saddam. Now every city has its own Saddam who wants to rule,” Belan Shnanie tells me during a flight. He worked in the UK for many years for a major oil company, and then decided to return to his hometown Erbil, capital city of Iraq’s Kurdistan, to start his own business. “Things are pretty slow now,” he says. “Are we speaking about the same Saddam who persecuted all opponents on the sole base of their political and ethnical belonging for years, using torture, murder and random imprisonment?” I ask. “Yes, we are. Look, I am Kurd and my father died because of Saddam, but I would not be honest if I say that things are better now. We have the same problems, the same inter-ethnic tensions, but less money and no one truly entitled to rule.” This was just the first expression of an idea that I found, not without a certain surprise, to be extremely common in Iraqi Kurdistan, a region known for its historical struggle for independence from the Iraqi state. Kurds were heavily persecuted by Saddam’s paramilitary forces during his regime, and many can't forget the massacre of Halabja in 1988, when chemical weapons killed more than 4,000 people. Nevertheless, an uncertain future and an unstable present risk to overcome historical memory. One casual answer is never representative, so I decided to ask this very question to every local citizen I met. “Do you think Saddam Hussain was a better option than the present situation?” “Yes, of course,” says Mahmud while driving his taxi. “I am a school teacher. Now you tell me in which country a school teacher drives a taxi? I have to drive this car because the government did not pay my salary as a teacher for the last four months, and I have a family to feed. I eat only at dinner to save money for them.” Mahmud’s situation is not unique; he took part in a protest held on September 26 across Iraqi Kurdistan, where thousands of teachers and government employees took to the streets to claim their unpaid salaries. “Mahmud you look around fifty years old. You lived during Saddam Hussain as a Kurd, as a repressed minority, and still you think he was better?” “Yes, at least he paid my salary.” As a journalist, I must specify that any number of street interactions still amounts to anecdotal evidence, and so cannot claim to represent the people's consensus. Entire sections of the Iraqi population actively fight for a democratic state and have no intention of going back to the previous form of government. The current president, Masoud Barzani, has been regularly voted and elected. Kurds are actively fighting the Islamic State, and its sectarian, violent ideals in Syria’s Rojava and in all the countries where they have a foothold. I must say though, again as a journalist, that among the great majority of the people I have been speaking to along the streets of Erbil, the most common answer has been: “Yes, Saddam was a dictator and did bad things, but at least the economy was good and we did not have to worry about our salary.” The surprising part is that I received such an answer both by Arabs and Kurds. I don’t really care about democracy and freedom, I care about food for my children and a salary in my bank. × It reminds of the many neo-fascists groups active in Europe, and the increasing appeal they have on a society suffering the long-term effects from the economic crisis. A society who does not trust its political class expresses frustrations on the many Facebook pages, singing the praises of the repressive and fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini for being an honest man who knew how to rule a country. “You have to understand that for a big part of the young Iraqi generations who have not lived under Saddam, memory does not play a role,” says a young educated man in his twenties who asked to remain anonymous. “We only know that now we have problems and we think that before there were no problems. This is true for many young Arabs, like me, who perceive Saddam’s past as a period of grandeur, and his toppling only as another move made by the West to destabilise the area. Many of us think that war is not the problem, but politics is, and the politicians are all corrupt.” This is another leitmotif among the answers: politicians are all corrupt, a belief which generates a significant mistrust toward the political class. It is frightening where the lack of stability and secure livelihoods can lead. This nostalgia of an authoritarian, repressive and criminal regime is mainly connected to that, to the idealisation of a past which seems much better than a turbulent present. A human and totally understandable necessity of a salary, a house, food on the table directly affects people's political perception. In harsh situations - be it war, natural catastrophes or monetary crisis - liberty, freedom of thought, religion and press become secondary options which many are ready to drop in favour of economic stability. This paves the way to whatever political group becomes able to provide an acceptable livelihood, to guarantee a salary and some food on your table. This is one of the aspects that make the Islamic State an acceptable form of government for entire sections of a society, a dynamic which IS knows well and uses it in its favour. Frustration, economic difficulties, mistrust towards elected politicians and corruption have been constant elements used to achieve power by almost all the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century. All together, they generate dangerous and reactionary attitudes which glorify the idea of a “perfect past” that in reality never existed, thus fuelling authoritarian temptations. An attitude clearly summed up by a banal and, for this democratic European writer, scary sentence, which Mahmud told me before shaking my hand outside the taxi. “I don’t really care about democracy and freedom, I care about food for my children and a salary in my bank.” (WION)

In today's Iraq, an authoritarian leader is tempting

<p>When you begin your life as a journalist, all you hope to do is tell the stories honestly. You make sure that your stories bring justice and they try and build an egalitarian society of sorts. Many journalists are accused of being left of centre. But the answer is very clear. A journalist strives to give a voice to the unheard. So, they have no choice but to be left of centre.</p>

<p><strong>Biased story selection</strong></p>

<p>It was many years after I started out as a journalist that I entered into the arena of international journalism. I traversed the conflict zones of the world and also covered South Asia for international networks. The stories were myopic and many times their selection was biased.</p>

<p>I was in Iraq and covering a story of a mother who was standing outside a mortuary weeping on her 35-year-old son&rsquo;s dead body. She was complaining that her son&rsquo;s nails had been pulled out. The paperwork said that he had died of a heart attack. He was one of the first casualties that had surfaced from what later became the infamous prison &mdash; Abu Ghraib. When we filed the story, there was resistance from the other Western journalists. They said that how could we believe this Iraqi mother, she could very well be lying. The environment stayed tense in the newsroom. In the end, we prevailed and told the story but I am sure not too many shows played it out.</p>

<p>The only stories that made to the forefront were about poverty, manual scavenging or the monkeys. I knew that I couldn&rsquo;t work in a myopic news environment; I had to tell the stories that were nuanced and looked at all sides of a society or societies.</p>

<p><strong>Global news neutrality</strong></p>

<p>For decades, media has been pushing the agenda of a country or a group of countries. Primarily Western news outlets have occupied that space and they push their viewpoint. They try and come as close possible to an &quot;unbiased&quot; approach. But they are far removed from reality as they are unable to decipher the intricacies involved. For an average well-travelled South Asian, the US is as much home as the UK. The South Asian community with its ability to assimilate and amalgamate has been able to call many parts of the world its home. Its population size is almost two billion, around 1/3rd of humanity.</p>

<p>For a solid journalism network, being unbiased is not a tall order. We understand the shooting in Milwaukee as well as we understand the bomb blast in Balochistan. We have created a team of people from all parts of the world to be able to comprehend the intricacies of the world.</p>

<p>As journalists, we have to continue to see the world as our own: one world. The successes and failures that we see are successes and failures of us as humanity. So why can&rsquo;t we look beyond nationalities, religion, ethnicity or language? Why is our news like the present world, divided and jingoistic? In an ideal world a reporter has no nationality, they would traverse the world, tell the stories that need to be told, whether good, bad or ugly. The good needs to be looked at as a model to be replicated, the bad needs to be corrected, and the ugly needs to be clamped down as soon as you see it.</p>

<p>There isn&rsquo;t a competition between nationalities and ethnicities as to who is doing better but rather an urge about how we are collaborating to achieve the goals of humanity.</p>

<p>Journalists are the eyes and ears of the world and they can become the ones that can help people to understand their own world better.</p>

<p>For this reason, the stories have to carry beyond the press releases, conferences, and studios. The stories have to be beyond the bickering of the rich and powerful. The stories have to be about people who are models of their society. The stories have to be about ideas that will help us lead better lives. The stories shouldn&rsquo;t showcase a particular section as the best and everything else as subservient and less evolved in some ethnocentric way.</p>

<p>A news organisation like that would be a dream of a journalist. It is not just the repository of crimes and rapes and everything bad happening around us. The organisation also talks about the good things happening around us. It would be an avenue to highlight the bad but also never leaving out the amazing ones that can help change the stereotype and our world.</p>

<p><strong>To create a global platform</strong></p>

<p>The smallest things we cover can have a very large impact. An impact that can change people&rsquo;s lives. I was in Iraq in 2003. Saddam was captured and I was reporting from the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.</p>

<p>I had gone to a human rights conference and met a man who had his son in tow, almost the age of my own son. The boy was limping and his mouth was not moving properly. I reached out to the father in my broken Arabic and started chatting with him through my translator. He told me that while his son was playing football, the cross firing began. A bullet hit his son and lodged in his son&rsquo;s head. He went from pillar to post, requesting the Americans as well as the Iraqi military to help but to no avail.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I decided to tell his story to the world. A day after the story was aired, the Greek ambassador arrived in Baghdad and approached me in my hotel. He wanted to reach out to the boy and offer him a trip to Athens for surgery. The boy&rsquo;s family was overjoyed. I am told that the boy is now living a happy and comfortable life.</p>

<p>News platforms must serve the people beyond the banal needs of the day. We, as journalists, at some level, have the responsibility to help people understand the environment they live in. Some people are left out of the growth cycle and they need to be made aware of how to make it through.</p>

<p>A news platform is about providing information to help create an informed world, a world where people can share and realise their potential. It is not a medium of hate or abuse. It is a civilised arena where we exchange ideas and make a sense of our environment. Indeed, there are times to ask tough questions, to help people re-think their own strategies. But it is not a medium to create adversarial monologues of opinionated jargon and exaggerations where truth is the casualty.</p>

<p>We are working to deliver an unbiased news network where people will be able to take pride in the phenomenal world that they live in and are able to learn from the successes and failures in general. As we launch the &lsquo;World Is One News&rsquo; Network, we hope to share the stories and our journey with you.</p>


It is time for us journalists to look beyond nationality, religion, ethnicity and language

When you begin your life as a journalist, all you hope to do is tell the stories honestly. You make sure that your stories bring justice and they try and build an egalitarian society of sorts. Many journalists are accused of being left of centre. But the answer is very clear. A journalist strives to give a voice to the unheard. So, they have no choice but to be left of centre. Biased story selection It was many years after I started out as a journalist that I entered into the arena of international journalism. I traversed the conflict zones of the world and also covered South Asia for international networks. The stories were myopic and many times their selection was biased. I was in Iraq and covering a story of a mother who was standing outside a mortuary weeping on her 35-year-old son’s dead body. She was complaining that her son’s nails had been pulled out. The paperwork said that he had died of a heart attack. He was one of the first casualties that had surfaced from what later became the infamous prison — Abu Ghraib. When we filed the story, there was resistance from the other Western journalists. They said that how could we believe this Iraqi mother, she could very well be lying. The environment stayed tense in the newsroom. In the end, we prevailed and told the story but I am sure not too many shows played it out. The only stories that made to the forefront were about poverty, manual scavenging or the monkeys. I knew that I couldn’t work in a myopic news environment; I had to tell the stories that were nuanced and looked at all sides of a society or societies. Global news neutrality For decades, media has been pushing the agenda of a country or a group of countries. Primarily Western news outlets have occupied that space and they push their viewpoint. They try and come as close possible to an "unbiased" approach. But they are far removed from reality as they are unable to decipher the intricacies involved. For an average well-travelled South Asian, the US is as much home as the UK. The South Asian community with its ability to assimilate and amalgamate has been able to call many parts of the world its home. Its population size is almost two billion, around 1/3rd of humanity. For a solid journalism network, being unbiased is not a tall order. We understand the shooting in Milwaukee as well as we understand the bomb blast in Balochistan. We have created a team of people from all parts of the world to be able to comprehend the intricacies of the world. As journalists, we have to continue to see the world as our own: one world. The successes and failures that we see are successes and failures of us as humanity. So why can’t we look beyond nationalities, religion, ethnicity or language? Why is our news like the present world, divided and jingoistic? In an ideal world a reporter has no nationality, they would traverse the world, tell the stories that need to be told, whether good, bad or ugly. The good needs to be looked at as a model to be replicated, the bad needs to be corrected, and the ugly needs to be clamped down as soon as you see it. There isn’t a competition between nationalities and ethnicities as to who is doing better but rather an urge about how we are collaborating to achieve the goals of humanity. Journalists are the eyes and ears of the world and they can become the ones that can help people to understand their own world better. For this reason, the stories have to carry beyond the press releases, conferences, and studios. The stories have to be beyond the bickering of the rich and powerful. The stories have to be about people who are models of their society. The stories have to be about ideas that will help us lead better lives. The stories shouldn’t showcase a particular section as the best and everything else as subservient and less evolved in some ethnocentric way. A news organisation like that would be a dream of a journalist. It is not just the repository of crimes and rapes and everything bad happening around us. The organisation also talks about the good things happening around us. It would be an avenue to highlight the bad but also never leaving out the amazing ones that can help change the stereotype and our world. To create a global platform The smallest things we cover can have a very large impact. An impact that can change people’s lives. I was in Iraq in 2003. Saddam was captured and I was reporting from the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. I had gone to a human rights conference and met a man who had his son in tow, almost the age of my own son. The boy was limping and his mouth was not moving properly. I reached out to the father in my broken Arabic and started chatting with him through my translator. He told me that while his son was playing football, the cross firing began. A bullet hit his son and lodged in his son’s head. He went from pillar to post, requesting the Americans as well as the Iraqi military to help but to no avail. I decided to tell his story to the world. A day after the story was aired, the Greek ambassador arrived in Baghdad and approached me in my hotel. He wanted to reach out to the boy and offer him a trip to Athens for surgery. The boy’s family was overjoyed. I am told that the boy is now living a happy and comfortable life. News platforms must serve the people beyond the banal needs of the day. We, as journalists, at some level, have the responsibility to help people understand the environment they live in. Some people are left out of the growth cycle and they need to be made aware of how to make it through. A news platform is about providing information to help create an informed world, a world where people can share and realise their potential. It is not a medium of hate or abuse. It is a civilised arena where we exchange ideas and make a sense of our environment. Indeed, there are times to ask tough questions, to help people re-think their own strategies. But it is not a medium to create adversarial monologues of opinionated jargon and exaggerations where truth is the casualty. We are working to deliver an unbiased news network where people will be able to take pride in the phenomenal world that they live in and are able to learn from the successes and failures in general. As we launch the ‘World Is One News’ Network, we hope to share the stories and our journey with you.

Why a global news network out of India

In the latest update coming in from United Hospital in Dhaka, 30 security personnel were brought in for treatment following the attack this evening. Duty manager at the United Hospital, Dr Miraj, speaking exclusively to WION, has confirmed that two security personnel who were brought to the hospital have now been declared dead.<br />
<br />
According to Dr Miraj, the men brought in had suffered severe shrapnel injuries sustained in grenade attacks at the Holey Artisan Bakery.<br />
The most severe injuries being reported by medical staff at the United Hospital were caused by shrapnel from grenade attacks during the exchange of fire between the IS attackers and security personnel.<br />
<br />
The United Hospital is located barely 300 metres from the Holey Artisan Bakery in the Gulshan-2 diplomatic enclave in Dhaka. The embassies and High Commissions of Malaysia, Romania, Australia, Pakistan, Canada, and Russia are among those that are in this high security zone where the bakery is situated.<br />
<br />
No civilians have so far been brought to the United Hospital for treatment from the scene of the attack.<br />
<br />
(WION)

So far, no civilians have been brought to the United Hospital for treatment from the scene of the attack

In the latest update coming in from United Hospital in Dhaka, 30 security personnel were brought in for treatment following the attack this evening. Duty manager at the United Hospital, Dr Miraj, speaking exclusively to WION, has confirmed that two security personnel who were brought to the hospital have now been declared dead. According to Dr Miraj, the men brought in had suffered severe shrapnel injuries sustained in grenade attacks at the Holey Artisan Bakery. The most severe injuries being reported by medical staff at the United Hospital were caused by shrapnel from grenade attacks during the exchange of fire between the IS attackers and security personnel. The United Hospital is located barely 300 metres from the Holey Artisan Bakery in the Gulshan-2 diplomatic enclave in Dhaka. The embassies and High Commissions of Malaysia, Romania, Australia, Pakistan, Canada, and Russia are among those that are in this high security zone where the bakery is situated. No civilians have so far been brought to the United Hospital for treatment from the scene of the attack. (WION)

Exclusive: Doctor 300 metres away from Dhaka standoff speaks to WION

At a time when all of us were convinced that globalisation was firmly perched in the world economic order and that regional trade blocs such as the European Union were the only way forward, here came the divorce of the century -- Brexit.<br />
<br />
Until a few days ago, it would have not sounded plausible that the British would exit this marriage of 43 years. As a global citizen looking at this vote, it was a bit unbelievable for me too. We have grown up into the idea that we will all move forward and amalgamate into a more just and egalitarian world.<br />
<br />
It is one thing to talk about amalgamation and telling the world that we believe in equality and quite another, when it comes to accepting the ideas as part of your own reality. We have all heard the British talk about the idea of Commonwealth and how countries that were part of their global empire should continue to stick around. But when it came down to taking their relationship forward with the rest of Europe, many Britons rejected the idea.<br />
<br />
<strong>Details dug in history</strong><br />
<br />
Bretton Woods system: It all started after the Second World War in 1944 in a small town in New Hampshire in United States where delegates of 44 nations came together to define a new international monetary system. It was at this meeting that the IMF and the World Bank came into existence and all the currencies around the world were pegged to the dollar which was in turn pegged to Bullion.<br />
<br />
After this, the trade between the countries in the western world started increasing enormously and we saw the birth of globalisation. The outlook of these western countries was more and more outward looking. Talks of working together in a cohesive manner and amalgamation were in the forefront of their scheme of things..<br />
<br />
Thus, during 40s and thereafter, the western countries were talking the language of interconnectivity through trade, defence forces (NATO), powerplay at IMF and World Bank and the actual culmination of all this integration and globalisation was seen in the formation of European Union.<br />
<br />
In the various stages of formation of a union among countries, European Union was just one step away from the final stage where all the countries not only have same trade and monetary policies but also the same fiscal policy. This was termed as an Economic Union and was the step towards the political unification of countries.<br />
<br />
<strong>The time of the East</strong><br />
<br />
As the time passed, in the 70s and 80s, the Eastern World also started opening up and moved towards adopting more liberalised policies. China is a manufacturing hub and trade-driven economy and none of the countries here is even close to China&#39;s share in world trade. The east Asian Tigers also reaped the benefits of opening up their economy to world trade and experienced a tremendous increase in their GDP.<br />
<br />
After the 1991 liberalisation, India has also reaped benefits of this integrated world.<br />
<br />
What the western world was experiencing in 40s and 50s, the eastern world has been experiencing since 80s and 90s, and they have just started to see that growth trajectory. The eastern countries are yet to realise the full potential of their liberalised and more integrated economies.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/Infographics_Who_is_next_to_follow-20160627110119.jpg" /><br />
<br />
<strong>Resurrecting the walls</strong><br />
<br />
But it seems that the western world is now in a reversal. Brexit is a clear indicator and the apparent rise of right-wing parties in other European countries represents that movement towards a more closed inward-looking policy. It has now become their territory, their national policy, their sovereignty. From &#39;our&#39; the world is moving to &#39;my&#39;. Thus, there is a clear swap in the positions of the western and eastern countries.<br />
<br />
The fall of the Berlin wall was not just a physical bringing down of the wall but it spoke more to the idea of people in Europe agreeing to share their wealth.<br />
<br />
But this backward trend is connected to the 2008 crisis, the result of which various European countries went into a second recession with their sovereign debt crisis. The debtor countries found themselves in deep trouble and were and still are forced to the terms and conditions of the surplus countries. And the entire paradigm about looking at national interests has started taking precedence.<br />
<br />
The incoming refugees from Syria and the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels added fuel to the already precarious situation, with the inward-looking mindset gaining more and more momentum.<br />
<br />
Maybe we should have listened to Keynes in 1944.<br />
<br />
At the Bretton Woods there were two proposals, one by Keynes and other by Henry White. The one that Henry White presented won. So this is probably a good time to ponder on what Keynes said.<br />
<br />
Keynes proposed a new currency called Bancor. He said that during the boom period a deficit nation takes more and more debt to fuel growth and a surplus nation also gives it. However, when this phase gets over and things start tumbling then the entire onus lies on the debtor nation and not the surplus one. So he proposed setting up of ICU: International Clearing Unit.<br />
<br />
Keynes proposed that any country racking up a large trade deficit (equating to more than half of its Bancor overdraft allowance) would be charged interest on its account. It would also be obliged to reduce the value of its currency and to prevent the export of capital. But -- and this was the key to his system -- he insisted that the nations with a trade surplus would be subject to similar pressures.<br />
<br />
Any country with a Bancor credit balance that was more than half the size of its overdraft facility would be charged interest, at a rate of 10%. It would also be obliged to increase the value of its currency and to permit the export of capital. If, by the end of the year, its credit balance exceeded the total value of its permitted overdraft, the surplus would be confiscated. The nations with a surplus would have a powerful incentive to get rid of it. In doing so, they would automatically clear other nations&#39; deficits.<br />
<br />
<strong>Doubt that world will be able to stop the reversal</strong><br />
<br />
When Europe was in upheaval after Brexit, US Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump landed in Scotland and declared that America wants itself back too. The challenge is that globalisation has been slow in the East and it is only now that countries like India may be ready to ride the wave. But as the western economies go into a recession, they may be scrambling themselves and not in a position to even deal with the growth in the East. With a world in conflict, the eyes are going to be off the idea of amalgamation, and people will focus on protecting whatever they have, and this move by the UK is just that.

The idea of countries coming together and forming unions slowly fades as each one struggles to protect what it owns

At a time when all of us were convinced that globalisation was firmly perched in the world economic order and that regional trade blocs such as the European Union were the only way forward, here came the divorce of the century -- Brexit. Until a few days ago, it would have not sounded plausible that the British would exit this marriage of 43 years. As a global citizen looking at this vote, it was a bit unbelievable for me too. We have grown up into the idea that we will all move forward and amalgamate into a more just and egalitarian world. It is one thing to talk about amalgamation and telling the world that we believe in equality and quite another, when it comes to accepting the ideas as part of your own reality. We have all heard the British talk about the idea of Commonwealth and how countries that were part of their global empire should continue to stick around. But when it came down to taking their relationship forward with the rest of Europe, many Britons rejected the idea. Details dug in history Bretton Woods system: It all started after the Second World War in 1944 in a small town in New Hampshire in United States where delegates of 44 nations came together to define a new international monetary system. It was at this meeting that the IMF and the World Bank came into existence and all the currencies around the world were pegged to the dollar which was in turn pegged to Bullion. After this, the trade between the countries in the western world started increasing enormously and we saw the birth of globalisation. The outlook of these western countries was more and more outward looking. Talks of working together in a cohesive manner and amalgamation were in the forefront of their scheme of things.. Thus, during 40s and thereafter, the western countries were talking the language of interconnectivity through trade, defence forces (NATO), powerplay at IMF and World Bank and the actual culmination of all this integration and globalisation was seen in the formation of European Union. In the various stages of formation of a union among countries, European Union was just one step away from the final stage where all the countries not only have same trade and monetary policies but also the same fiscal policy. This was termed as an Economic Union and was the step towards the political unification of countries. The time of the East As the time passed, in the 70s and 80s, the Eastern World also started opening up and moved towards adopting more liberalised policies. China is a manufacturing hub and trade-driven economy and none of the countries here is even close to China's share in world trade. The east Asian Tigers also reaped the benefits of opening up their economy to world trade and experienced a tremendous increase in their GDP. After the 1991 liberalisation, India has also reaped benefits of this integrated world. What the western world was experiencing in 40s and 50s, the eastern world has been experiencing since 80s and 90s, and they have just started to see that growth trajectory. The eastern countries are yet to realise the full potential of their liberalised and more integrated economies. Resurrecting the walls But it seems that the western world is now in a reversal. Brexit is a clear indicator and the apparent rise of right-wing parties in other European countries represents that movement towards a more closed inward-looking policy. It has now become their territory, their national policy, their sovereignty. From 'our' the world is moving to 'my'. Thus, there is a clear swap in the positions of the western and eastern countries. The fall of the Berlin wall was not just a physical bringing down of the wall but it spoke more to the idea of people in Europe agreeing to share their wealth. But this backward trend is connected to the 2008 crisis, the result of which various European countries went into a second recession with their sovereign debt crisis. The debtor countries found themselves in deep trouble and were and still are forced to the terms and conditions of the surplus countries. And the entire paradigm about looking at national interests has started taking precedence. The incoming refugees from Syria and the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels added fuel to the already precarious situation, with the inward-looking mindset gaining more and more momentum. Maybe we should have listened to Keynes in 1944. At the Bretton Woods there were two proposals, one by Keynes and other by Henry White. The one that Henry White presented won. So this is probably a good time to ponder on what Keynes said. Keynes proposed a new currency called Bancor. He said that during the boom period a deficit nation takes more and more debt to fuel growth and a surplus nation also gives it. However, when this phase gets over and things start tumbling then the entire onus lies on the debtor nation and not the surplus one. So he proposed setting up of ICU: International Clearing Unit. Keynes proposed that any country racking up a large trade deficit (equating to more than half of its Bancor overdraft allowance) would be charged interest on its account. It would also be obliged to reduce the value of its currency and to prevent the export of capital. But -- and this was the key to his system -- he insisted that the nations with a trade surplus would be subject to similar pressures. Any country with a Bancor credit balance that was more than half the size of its overdraft facility would be charged interest, at a rate of 10%. It would also be obliged to increase the value of its currency and to permit the export of capital. If, by the end of the year, its credit balance exceeded the total value of its permitted overdraft, the surplus would be confiscated. The nations with a surplus would have a powerful incentive to get rid of it. In doing so, they would automatically clear other nations' deficits. Doubt that world will be able to stop the reversal When Europe was in upheaval after Brexit, US Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump landed in Scotland and declared that America wants itself back too. The challenge is that globalisation has been slow in the East and it is only now that countries like India may be ready to ride the wave. But as the western economies go into a recession, they may be scrambling themselves and not in a position to even deal with the growth in the East. With a world in conflict, the eyes are going to be off the idea of amalgamation, and people will focus on protecting whatever they have, and this move by the UK is just that.

McLuhan did not know that the village would be disconnected

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