Sonikka Loganathan

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India-Canada relations sour: Spotlight on immigrants, foreign students, workers and trade | Data

Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that agents of the Indian government were involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, in Surrey. India called the allegations “absurd” and “motivated”. India had declared Nijjar, the head of the Khalistani Tiger Force, a terrorist in 2020, and has accused Canada of providing a safe haven for people who support the Khalistani cause. Soon after the accusation, the head of Indian intelligence in Canada was expelled.
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Data | Cost of preparing meals at home rose by 65% in five years, wages by just 28%-37%

The cost of a home-cooked vegetarian thali in Mumbai has increased by 65% in the last five years. At the same time, the average wage earned by a casual labourer working in urban Maharashtra has increased by only 37% and that of a salaried worker has increased by 28%. This disparity between wages/salaries and expenditure has led to essential food items becoming increasingly unaffordable. Given the fixed food budget in most Indian homes, the imbalance results in smaller thalis or fewer items in t
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Data | Antarctic sea ice cover hits record lows on many days of 2023

On February 19, the extent of sea ice in Antarctica fell to the lowest level ever recorded. This is in continuation of the worrying trend where sea ice cover shrinks as global temperatures rise. Sea ice melts during Antarctica’s summer, which starts around October and ends in March and then freezes again during the winter months. Data show that in the last six years, the Antarctic sea ice cover has recorded major declines. The increased melting of sea ice leads to a rise in global sea levels, w
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Data | What explains India’s poor COVID-19 booster coverage

In the 24 hours ending at 10 a.m. on Monday, India recorded more than 1,800 new COVID-19 cases — twice the number recorded a week ago. This is the third spike since the Omicron wave in January 2022. Each rise is accompanied by a discussion on hastening the administration of booster doses, which were made available in January 2022. While there is a jump in cases, movement restrictions and mask mandates have disappeared. Also, since the first two vaccine shots were administered to the population
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The citizenship dilemma over Islamic State women returnees

In 2015, 15-year-old Shamima Begum and two of her friends left East London to join the Islamic State (IS), a Sunni jihadist group, in Syria. At the time, IS had strongholds in Syria and Iraq and was recruiting members to its “caliphate” through propaganda. Sometimes the group would reportedly show potential recruits videos of gruesome murders and sometimes it would promise them a utopia where Muslims could live peacefully. Begum claims she was promised such a utopia. After joining IS, Begum marr
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Data | India’s toy exports surge but still 200 times smaller than China’s

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted that India can become a global toy hub. In July 2021, he rued the fact that about 80% of the toys were imported, with crores of rupees going abroad, calling on people to be “vocal for local toys”. In July 2022, he announced that India’s exports of toys surged from ₹300-400 crore to ₹2,600 crore, a boost that “no one could have imagined.” Beyond an increase in exports, Mr. Modi also said that imports of toys, which

Data | Qatar, third-worst World Cup host in terms of human rights

With just days to go before the football World Cup begins, Qatar, the host country, and FIFA are embroiled in controversy. Since 2013, when Doha won the bid to host the World Cup, rights groups have called out Qatar’s poor human rights record, particularly on LGBT rights, civil liberties and treatment of migrant workers. Footballers and fans have expressed anger and disappointment at FIFA, and more so after the body issued a statement recently asking the 32 participating nations to “now focus on
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Data Point | Understanding the goals and vision of COP27

What are delegates discussing at COP27? How far has the world come in tackling climate change and what are the challenges ahead? Last week, the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) was held in Sharm-El-Sheik in Egypt. The delegates had gathered to discuss ways of mitigating environmental degradation and stopping a climate catastrophe from taking place. Delegates from 197 countries, all of whom are a part of the Paris Climate Accord, are now meeting to find a solution that will
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Data | Deepavali day: Record pollution levels in Chennai and Bengaluru, but Delhi and Kolkata fare better

State governments across India announced various degrees of restrictions on bursting crackers this Deepavali. While the measures seem to have worked to an extent in eastern India and parts of the north, cities in the south and west reported record pollution levels on Deepavali. Pollution during Deepavali spikes due to firecrackers. In 2016, the Chest Research Foundation of India, Pune, conducted a series of experiments on firecrackers to determine the quantum of PM 2.5 particles emitted. For in
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Comparing 75 years of independent India’s growth and development

As India celebrates its 75th year of independence, we look at the nation’s growth compared to other countries, across several development indicators India celebrates 75 years of independence this August 15. While independence marked a dramatic departure from the past and ushered in a new era of growth, opportunity, democratic rule and freedom, India was not the only region or country undergoing extreme change then. Several other Southeast Asian and African nations were also fighting for freedom
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D. Gukesh Super Grandmaster at sweet 16

D. Gukesh, the 16-year-old Grandmaster from Chennai, became only the sixth Indian to reach and cross the coveted 2700 ELO ratings mark in chess. Following his victory against GM Le Quang Liam from Vietnam in the Biel Chess Festival (Classic) in Switzerland on July 16 to take his point tally to 2.5 in 3 games, the young grandmaster’s Live ELO ratings went up to 2703.9. Only two other players - China’s Wei Yi (some months before turning 16) and Iranian-born French player Alireza Firouzja achieved
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Contraception and family planning is a woman’s job

Although both men and women have knowledge of various modern contraceptive methods, NFHS-5 data show that women continue to bear the burden of family planning Awareness of family planning and contraception among Indians is widespread, with over 99% of married men and women between the ages of 15-49 knowing at least one contraceptive method. Still, not all women find their family planning needs being met. While there are many reasons for this, the National Family Health Survey-5 shows that it co
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Data | Burden of family planning falls on women in India, female sterilisation widely preferred

Awareness of family planning and contraceptive methods has seen an increase, according to NFHS-5. The awareness of modern contraceptive methods is widespread, with 97% of women and 97.5% of men knowing at least one modern method. Still, the burden of this responsibility mostly falls on women, with female sterilisations being the most common form of contraception. Tubectomies (surgical procedure for female sterilisation) are performed about 10 times more than vasectomies (surgical procedure for m
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Pros and cons of Agnipath scheme through numbers

After the government announced the Agnipath scheme on June 14, the nation’s youth began protesting. Many of them had spent the last two years, during which defence recruitment was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, preparing for the written test of the Defence Services. Their plans of having a long-term career in the military have been cut short to four years with this new scheme. Agnipath’s short-term contract means that at the end of four years, 25% of the 46,000 ‘Agniveers’, who will be
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Data Point | 100 days of Russia-Ukraine war

Russia’s early morning attack on February 24 has caused deaths, a refugee crisis, and global economic turmoil. The end remains out of sight. It has been just over 100 days since Russia first launched artillery strikes on Ukraine, under the guise of “demilitarising” and “de-Nazifying” the former Soviet state. In just three months, Russia has managed to leave the country cratered, dilapidated and desolate. Experts and political heads say that what Russian President Vladimir Putin called a “specia
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Data | How the composition of judges affects the abortion rights in the U.S.

According to a draft opinion leaked by news outlet Politico in February 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) privately voted to strike down the landmark Roe vs Wade (1973) judgment, wherein the court ruled that a pregnant woman can choose to have an abortion. Although the court generally maintains a balance of liberal and conservative justices, the 2018 appointment of Brett Kavanaugh by then-President Donald Trump, pushed the court to a conservative majority. If Roe is overturne
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Data Point | Explaining India’s recent fuel tax cuts

It’s a relief that the Union government has cut the fuel tax. But why were the prices increased in the first place and who was responsible for those increases? A look at the developments that preceded the recent excise duty cuts: After weeks of incremental increases in fuel prices, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the Union government is slashing fuel taxes. In a tweet on May 21, she said that the central excise duty on petrol and diesel will be reduced by Rs. 8 and Rs.
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Data | Buffalo shooting latest in the rising hate crimes and firearm-related murders in U.S.

On Saturday, an 18-year-old white man walked into a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighbourhood in Buffalo, New York, and gunned down 10 people. Officials told the Associated Press that the shooter targeted the area with the intention to kill as many Black people as he could. The shooter, identified as Payton Gendron, used a legally purchased Bushmaster XM-15, a semi-automatic rifle similar to an AR-15. Mass shootings have become more frequent in the United States with the number of such
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Data | Over 25% rural households defecate in the open in contrast to Swachh Bharat data

On October 2, 2019, all the villages in the 36 States and Union Territories of India were declared open defecation-free (ODF). However, recently published data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) show that none of the 30 States surveyed are open defecation-free. The survey results show that residents in over 25% of rural households defecated in the open. In States such as Bihar and Jharkhand, the share of such rural households was higher than 40%. And among rural households, access t