Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
randeep rameshlatest news & developments
During the blackout

Blackouts in India are a sign of political arrogance

The recent powercuts that hit about 620-million people in India were a sign of a democracy that takes power from its people, writes Randeep Ramesh.

How wealth affects health

A British study shows that the poorest people in the London borough of Westminster live 17 years less than the richest.

Poorer children ‘don’t reach their potential’

Almost 60% of five-year-olds in some of Britain’s poorest areas do not reach a "good level" of behaviour and understanding.

Millions of children still die needlessly

Millions of children still die needlessly

One of the biggest concerns is that not enough is being done to cut the number of child deaths across the globe.

India’s space race takes flak

If the country succeeded, it would become only the fourth — after the United States, Russia and China — to send a man into space.

Bestseller’s success upsets Indian literati

At 35, Chetan Bhagat’s chronicling of the trials and tribulations of the country’s middle-class youth has made him a publishing phenomenon in India.

High price for a cheap car

State accused of stealing land and livelihoods for a factory that now lies empty.

TV swami offers a cure-all

Yoga evangelist has millions in his thrall, but critics claim devotees are being duped, writes Randeep Ramesh in Haridwar.

Fall of the house of Shah

Last week, Nepal’s new constitutional assembly held its first meeting and put an end to the monarchy, a key part of a 2006 peace deal with Maoist guerrillas who gave up the…

True legacy of Bhopal disaster comes to light

Hundreds of children are still being born with birth defects as a result of the world’s worst industrial disaster 23 years ago in the central Indian town of Bhopal, say…

An accidental millionaire

Quiet and unassuming, the Indian business baron drives himself to work in an unremarkable Tata sedan. His beachfront bachelor pad is found in the hippest tip of south Mumbai, but…

Youth spurn middle way

Violent protests in Tibet have emphasised the growing divide within the exiled community over how to win the propaganda war with China. The spiritual leader of the Tibetans, the…

Poor but defiant

About 25 000 of India’s poorest people — tribal peoples, "untouchables" and landless labourers — have stopped traffic for nearly three weeks on the road that links Delhi and…

Backlash fears as India rides high

The stock market boom in India reached new heights on Monday with the Mumbai index shooting past 19 000 for the first time and creating paper fortunes worth billions of dollars…

Back to the storyboard

Arundhati Roy wrote a Booker winner, then became a political activist. Ten years and two court cases later, she has begun a second novel. Randeep Ramesh speaks to the author.

Preparing the youth

Scouts all over Southern Africa will observe World Aids Day in a collaborative initiative to fight the rapid spread and devastating effects of HIV/Aids. The youth are more likely…

Microchip maker to invest in India

STMicroelectronics, Europe’s largest chipmaker, announced last week that it will spend $100-million on two design centres in India to cash in on the country’s large, cheap but…