Counterview

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ*  The struggle is on and will continue relentlessly until truth and justice triumph. Of that there is no doubt. It may well be a long-haul struggle, but few seem to bother about that; after all, India’s freedom struggle was a long, drawn-out affair too.

By Shamsul Islam*  On October 11, 2026, an attempt on the lives of Hindu worshippers at the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, Illinois, one of the largest Hindu temples in the United States, was foiled. The temple is about 40 miles west of downtown Chicago. According to prosecutors, the suspect's AR-style rifle, a lightweight, magazine-fed, semi-automatic firearm freely available in the US, jammed.

By A Representative   Top human rights organisation, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has taken strong exception to the arrest of Dalit activist Laxman Naik and doctor and human rights supporter Dr. Randall Sequeira, who were detained in Odisha’s Bhawanipatna on October 16 for their alleged involvement in protests against Vedanta Ltd.’s proposed bauxite mining project in the Sijimali hills.

Counterview News   The world’s largest banks and investors are continuing to finance companies responsible for tropical deforestation, ecosystem destruction, and human rights abuses, according to a major new report released by the Forests & Finance coalition. The findings highlight a stark accountability gap in the global financial sector, even as international governments prepare to review critical biodiversity goals.

By A Representative   A dedicated, legally binding international treaty is needed to protect older persons from age discrimination, social exclusion, poverty and barriers to healthcare and social protection, speakers at a recent SHE & Rights session have said.

By Vikas Meshram*  As this year’s Nobel season draws to a close, two prizes have commanded particular attention: one in economic sciences and the other for peace. At first glance, they appear to inhabit different universes. The former belongs to the intricate world of inflation, interest rates, and government policy; the latter to the fraught realms of war, justice, and human rights. Yet, a single, vital thread connects them. Societies, markets, and the global order function on the bedrock of rules, expectations, and trust. When that foundation crumbles, the loss is measured not merely in numbers and rubble, but in shattered futures.

By Rajiv Shah    European banks that helped shut down Adani ’s Galilee Basin coal frontier in Australia a decade ago are now bankrolling a far larger coal expansion just 150 kilometres away, according to a new report from Reclaim Finance and partner NGOs. The study , "Coal Hypocrisy: European Banks’ Double Standard on Thermal and Metallurgical Coal in Australia", finds that 19 European banks provided US$30.3 billion to companies planning metallurgical coal expansion in Queensland’s Bowen Basin between 2021 and 2025, out of a total of US$105.9 billion from international banks.

Counterview News   As the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded their Annual Meetings in Bangkok this week, civil society groups and policy experts outside the official proceedings released two critical documents challenging the institutions' legacy and prescriptions for Asia, calling for a fundamental overhaul of the global financial architecture.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Seventy years ago, on October 14, 1956—a day that coincided with Dussehra—Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, along with millions of his followers, embraced Buddhism at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur. This epoch-making event, known as Dhammachakra Pravartan Diwas, remains one of the most significant moments in India's modern history, a day that fundamentally altered the social and cultural landscape of the nation.