The so-called electricity markets were created to help private capital, not people. It is time that we wind up such bogus electricity markets and return all such public services to the people, to be run cooperatively for their benefit.
Prabir Purkayastha
Prabir Purkayastha is the founding editor of Newsclick.in, a digital media platform. He is an activist for science and the free software movement.
Mendel’s Genetic Revolution and the Legacy of Scientific Racism
Scientific advances are not always linear; they zigzag in unexpected ways. This is particularly true of genetics, which has a dark history of being coopted into eugenics and race science.
The WTO Opts for Greed and Profits Over Providing Vaccinations for All People Worldwide
The health of all people is being sacrificed to Big Pharma profits and rich countries’ saber-rattling sanctions. Meanwhile, other countries are capable of meeting the world’s vaccine needs.
Ukraine and the Global Economic War: Is This Barbarism or Civilization?
The West’s actions against Russia since the war in Ukraine could signal an emerging new order that shuns the U.S. for weaponizing the dollar and Western control over the global financial system.
Can Iran and the U.S. Breathe Life Back Into Nuclear Deal?
Tehran knows the United States may be just a presidential election away from reneging on the deal, so U.S. stakes are temporary.
Theranos Verdict: In the U.S., It Is Fine to Lie to Consumers but Not to Investors
Hyper-capitalism has systematically weakened regulations to help capital at the cost of consumers. The verdict on the Elizabeth Holmes case simply illustrates the growing post-’90s disregard for consumers.
The Geopolitics Behind Spiraling Gas and Electricity Prices in Europe
Markets do not solve the problem of energy pricing. What is required is planning and long-term investments in infrastructure.
Why Poorer Nations Aren’t Falling for Green-Washed Imperialism
The world’s wealthiest countries make a big show of fighting climate change without offering poorer countries the finances to switch to renewable energy.
Meta Isn’t Just About Rebranding Facebook—Could It Bring a Dystopian Future?
Facebook’s announcement has implications about digital life and work—provided it can attract younger users and gamer skeptics and overcome the hate speech and disinformation problems that could still plague Zuckerberg’s vision.
How Facebook’s Algorithms Promote Hate and Drive Toxic Content
Whistleblower Frances Haugen’s evidence shows Facebook knew its algorithms promote dangerous content but did nothing about it so that it could maximize its advertising revenue.
What Does India Get Out of Being Part of ‘The Quad’?
Australia has joined the U.S. and UK games to contain China, leaving India unclear in the Quad and isolated in Asia. Tied to the waning imperial power of the U.S., India is gradually losing strategic autonomy.
Chip War: Can the U.S. Really Gain From China’s Pain?
The U.S. currently holds a strong hand in its chip war with China. But experts believe it will lose in the future as China has a bigger market and a larger capacity for creating new knowledge.
Are Bezos and Musk Launching Us Into a New Space Age, or Just a U.S. Space Grab?
We are entering a new space age in which billionaires can leave this world, which they are destroying, hoping to find another world to conquer and destroy.
Remembering the Great Scientific Crusader Who Showed That No Biological Basis for Race Exists—Richard Lewontin
Lewontin fought a lifelong battle against racism, imperialism and capitalist oppression.
Pegasus and the Threat of Cyberweapons in the Age of Smartphones
Spyware like Pegasus is dangerous not only because it gives hackers complete control over an infected phone, but also because it introduces the skills and knowledge of nation-states into the civilian sphere.
How Modi’s Privatization Agenda Fueled the COVID-19 Disaster in India
India’s incompetent, vainglorious leadership, combined with the right-wing belief in magical capitalism, has led to the disaster that the country is now facing.
As India Gasps to Breathe, Modi Government Abdicates Responsibility
As India gasps to breathe, the Modi government abdicates responsibility.
The West Is Practicing Vaccine Apartheid at a Global Level
For rich countries, the billions of dollars of vaccine market for Big Pharma far outweigh the benefits of saving millions of lives.
Why the U.S. Shouldn’t Play Games With Cyberwarfare as Its Power Declines
Cybersecurity threats are emerging as one of the most serious challenges of the 21st century. The U.S. and its NATO allies have turned down every attempt within the UN framework for banning cyberweapons.
Why the U.S. and Its Allies Are Stupid to Turn COVID-19 Vaccination Into a Geopolitical Power Play
The COVID-19 pandemic demands that all nations cooperate to vaccinate the entire global population—a goal that can’t be achieved using the usual rules of which countries win and which ones lose.
The Value of Universal Vaccination Is So Great That Even the IMF Is Being Forced to Rethink Its Callousness to the Global South
It could cost as much as $5 trillion if rich countries don’t help vaccinate the rest of the world.
Why We Need to Adopt Friedrich Engels’ Thinking on Science in These Times
It is no accident that big science in capitalist countries is tied to either war or the greed of capital. This is especially being sharply reflected during the present pandemic when we find that a large number of vaccines are for-profit, even if they have been funded by public money.
Why Google Is Facing Serious Accusations of Monopoly Practices
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Google-Alphabet (Alphabet is Google’s parent company) on October 20 for a range of anti-competitive practices using its monopoly power in the search market.
Why 2020 Is the Year of Black Holes
The Nobel physics prize went to scientists who have broken the dam on our understanding of mysteries in the universe
Why We’re on a Long Road to COVID-19 Immunity Even With Vaccines
As the pandemic continues to spread throughout the world, many countries seem to have given up the fight against COVID-19 and are now waiting for a vaccine to protect against the virus.
Facebook’s Business Model Thrives on the Virality of Hate
We need to break up these monopolies and regulate them as the new public utilities of the digital age
Why 5G Is the First Stage of a Tech War Between the U.S. and China
It is not game over for Huawei, as many tech analysts are concluding prematurely
Trump’s Withdrawal From WHO: A Cover-Up for Its Abject Failure on COVID-19
Microbes do not recognize borders. We are all safe only when everybody is safe. In a pandemic, to attack the only body we have for global cooperation endangers everyone.
The World Can Show How Pharma Monopolies Aren’t the Only Way to Fight COVID-19
After his disastrous handling of the COVID-19 epidemic, Trump is trying to improve his waning electoral chances by reserving all of Gilead’s stock of remdesivir.
U.S. Abandons Open Skies for New Age Space Weapons
The U.S. continues to pour its money into military technology and its political energy into defense strategies against what it perceives as threats to its global hegemony from China and Russia—even during a pandemic.