ANYONE who wishes to pursue PhD research in India must appear for the UGC-NET (National Eligibility Test), which, until 2024-25, was conducted to determine the eligibility of Indian nationals for the posts of ‘Assistant Professor’ and ‘Junior Research Fellowship and Assistant Professor’ in Indian universities and colleges.In 2024, the union government – under the guise of “standardising” and “enhancing” the quality of research programmes – made NET scores a key criterion for PhD admissions.

ON July 27, representatives from three major energy sector workers’ federations met in Thiruvananthapuram and initiated a process of coordinated actions across the electricity, coal and petroleum sectors.The meeting, attended by leaders from the Electricity Employees' Federation of India (EEFI), All India Coal Workers' Federation (AICWF), and Petroleum & Gas Workers' Federation of India (PGWFI), discussed in detail the scope and challenges of organising the workers of the energy sectors to protect the energy security and sovereignty of our country, as well as the rights and welfare of e

THE Modi government should hang its head in shame – if it has any sense of shame left. Unfolding before the eyes of the world is the horrific and unbearable spectacle of mass starvation in Gaza, of babies and children wasting away due to malnutrition and hunger, and at the doors of death.The 21-month Israeli war on Gaza has now transformed into genocide by starvation. Yet, the BJP rulers are unmoved. There has been not a single statement of protest or condemnation of Israel’s tactics of starving an entire population.

THE life of Comrade V S Achuthanandan, who passed away at the age of 101 on July 21, 2025 is a remarkable chapter in the history of Kerala in general and in the context of the state’s revolutionary movement in particular.Comrade VS, as he was called, was a symbol of an enduring tradition of struggle, extraordinary resilience, and unwavering commitment to justice. His century-long life, marked by tireless working for the people and unwavering support in their hour of need, is closely interwoven with the modern history of Kerala.

A RECENT paper in Science addresses an intriguing question: Did North America have settled agriculture before the arrival of Europeans? Or were the people in North America still in the hunter-gatherer stage, unlike Mesoamericans, who had advanced civilisations, such as the Mayans, Aztecs, and the Incas? The answer is that it did have significant agriculture, which "disappeared" only after their encounters with the invading Europeans settling in their lands.