Ripples In A Teacup

  France has banned French athletes from donning the hijab, the Islamic headscarf, at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This announcement was made by French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, during a segment on French TV. Paris will be hosting the Olympics from July 26, 2024, to August 11, 2024. This announcement has resulted in a wave of criticism. "No one should impose on a woman what she needs to wear or not wear," United Nations rights office spokeswoman Marta Hurtado told reporters in Geneva. To be fair to French Sports Minister Ameili Oudea-Castera, she was merely reiterating French law. French laws prohibit the wearing of "ostentatious" religious symbols in some contexts, such as in state schools and by civil servants. France was the first European country to ban wearing a full-face veil in 2010. The education ministry also made a similar statement and has banned school students from wearing abayas . In June, France's Council of State upheld a ban on wom

Today a new session started in the Indian Parliament and a bill that provides for reservations for women in various legislatures was introduced. In the in Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament) and all state legislative assemblies, one-third of the total number of seats to be filled by direct elections shall be reserved for women. Further, one-third of the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes shall also be reserved for women. Interestingly, today’s session was the first sesion in the new Parliament building which has cost the Indian tax payer a pretty penny. The Women's Reservation Bill seeks to amend the Indian constitution by introducing the following new provisions in the Constitution. These are: New clause in 239AA: This provides for reservations for women in the Delhi Legislative Assembly. New Article – 330A: This provides for reservations for women in the Lok Sabha Assembly. New Article – 332A: This provides for reservations for women in every state l

  I’m back after a two-week break for my first term exams and what do I see? Donald Trump has said that Joe Biden is “not too old” but “grossly incompetent”. I disagree. I   don’t think Biden is incompetent at all. However, his age might sway some voters against him. Across the board, polls about the 2024 presidential election show President Joe Biden and ex-president Donald Trump are neck-and-neck . Democracts are definitely worried. Trump is still very popular among large sections of the voting population. Vivek Ramaswamy has anounced that if he becomes the US president in 2024 he will ‘gut’ the H-1B visa programme which he said is an “indentured servitude". He further asserted that the lottery-based system will be replaced with more-effective meritocratic admission. As an Indian resident who hopes to migrate to the US, I have mixed feelings about the H1B and wouldn’t mind if it is replaced with something better. Vivek Ramaswamy also plans to fire over 75% of the fede

Nikki Haley , born as Nimarata Randhawa, is one of the Republican contenders to be US president. Like all other Republicans, Nikki is tough on illegal immigrants. She actually voted in favor of a law that requires employers to be able to prove that newly hired employees are legal residents of the United States, and also requires all immigrants to carry documentation at all times proving that they are legally in the United States. Haley is pro-life and has supported legislation to restrict abortion. Haley, the only female competitor in the GOP race, has not made her gender central to her campaign pitch. Instead, she has zeroed in on the need for a new generation of leadership. What else does Haley stand for? Yes, Haley thinks Vivek Ramaswamy does not have any foreign policy experience . Why does Haley think so? Because, apparently, Ramaswamy doesn’t support Israel . Or rather, Haley thinks Ramaswamy will abandon Israel! Ramaswamy has been quick to deny such an allegation. He went on to