Latest Updates from Guest Column

By Ashutosh Mishra London: Brexit continues to haunt the people of this country. Opinion is sharply divided and the political class seems obsessed with the issue. Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s survival depends upon how successfully he can lead England out of the European Union (EU) without causing any major damage to the economy. That is […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: London zoo is a must-do for anyone visiting the city. Spread over 36 acres this oldest scientific zoo of the world houses some of the most exotic and endangered animal species. There are giant gorillas, okapis ( a cross between a giraffe and a zebra), sloths and gibbons. I saw a […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: The recent incident of labour touts chopping off the toes and fingers of a migrant labourer from Nuapada in Maharashtra’s Nagpur has brought back the horrible memories of similar violence against two labourers from Kalahandi in 2013. A labour contractor, referred to as ‘sardar’ in the local parlance in the hunger […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: Healthcare system in England is pretty good. The state takes good care of its people and chances of being fleeced or exploited by doctors are almost nil. Doctors refrain from prescribing unnecessary medicines or recommending excessive tests. This is because they are not going to gain anything from it. They are […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: Climate change is a big issue in this part of the world. The city is currently in the grip of Extinction Rebellion protesters who have launched a two-week long campaign to highlight the dangers of climate change. Members of the eco- justice group, drawn from various parts of England, are everywhere in […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: The mood in Britain seems to be changing. It is clearly turning against Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s obsession with Brexit, the deadline for which—October 31–is fast approaching. Johnson, who had said Britain will exit the European Union (EU) with or without a deal, seems to have softened a bit given the […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is an extremely popular figure among the members of the Indian community here with a high degree of respect for his domestic and foreign policies. Back home there may be doubts about his ability to steer the economy out of a difficult situation with unemployment growing and […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: Drug abuse is rampant in this city which consumes more cocaine than any other European city. A respectable newspaper has reported that London’s cocaine market is worth an estimated one billion pounds a year and about 23 kg of pure cocaine is snorted a day by its denizens. The quantity is […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: For such a modern city London is remarkably green with lots of open spaces and parks. But this verdure can be deceptive with even parks facing the threat of pollution. A respected newspaper has run a report based on a study that says that more than air quality in a quarter […]

The weekend shutdown is back; across the state and in a far more stringent avatar this time. One could get practically everything one needed – grocery, vegetables, non-veg items, milk, bread…

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: It was heart-rending to read about the plight of the tribal woman who delivered her baby on a footpath within the premises of the Capital Hospital. If such incidents can take place in the capital city one wonders what must be happening in the interior areas of the state. Pana Murmu’s […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: As the October 31 deadline draws closer pressure is mounting on Prime Minister, Boris Johnson to give up his “ do or die” stand on Brexit by the month end. A section of leaders within his own party appear convinced, like most European Union bigwigs, that more time may be needed […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Opposition parties have a slew of prickly campaign issues against the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Bijepur where the canvassing for the bye-election is in full swing. The BJP, which is the main opponent of BJD in the constituency, has already made its intentions clear. It is going all out […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Politics makes strange bedfellows. One was reminded of this saying when former minister, Damodar Rout joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in March this year. It was an out and out opportunistic move that at that point of time suited both Rout and the party he had decided to hitch his […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: Racist abuse aimed at England players during Monday’s Euro qualifier against Bulgaria has received massive coverage in the British newspapers. The match that the visiting team won 6-0 was marred by uncharitable comments from Bulgarian fans directed against England’s black players. The naked display of racism by the white-skinned Bulgarian chauvinists […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: Crime is on the rise in this city. While a drug cartel seems to be active knife crime has escalated. According to reports in a section of the media here this kind of crime has risen to a record high with more than 15,000 offences in a year being for the […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Odisha Congress’s defeatist attitude is the biggest stumbling block in the path of its revival in the state. The latest example of this attitude is the statement of party veteran, former minister, Suresh Kumar Routray on a local TV channel almost conceding defeat in the Bijepur assembly by-poll. Asked about the […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: For the BJP, which has emerged as the main opposition party in the state, results of the last assembly elections were not upto the leadership’s expectations. Set a goal of 120 plus seats by BJP president, Amit Shah state party leaders had hoped to win at least 50 seats, if not […]

By Ashutosh Mishra Bhubaneswar: Senior police officials in Koraput recently brainstormed on ways to contain left wing extremism in southern Odisha, specially the erstwhile undivided Koraput district. The area comprising the present Koraput, Malkangiri, Nowrangpur and Rayagada districts deserves special attention as Maoist rebels have been most active in this belt. The area shares borders […]

By Ashutosh Mishra London: Railway service in England is pretty efficient. Trains are fast and run on time. Instances of disruption of service are few and far between. The kind of shambolic scenes that we generally witness at railway stations in India are but rare here. Extinction Rebellion protesters, who practically laid seize to this […]