Oliver Villar

Nov 4, 2024 | countercurrents.org | Arun Mitra |Oliver Villar |Gideon Polya |Chris Hedges

The declaration of the recently ended 16th summit of the BRICS (now extended BRICS) has several points for which the developing and least developed countries have been aspiring for many decades. Even though colonization through direct military control by the erstwhile colonial powers has largely ended, the grievances of these countries continue as the imperial powers have evolved new methods to exert their control.

Oct 24, 2024 | countercurrents.org | Neeraj Jain |Oliver Villar |Laurel Sutherlin |Brett Wilkins

The Finance Minister knows how to package her budget speech to garner headlines in the media. The media had already hailed the budget for education in the Interim Budget 2024–25 as “the highest ever” and “historic”. Since the budget allocation for education in the July Union Budget was the same as the interim budget, it wouldn’t have made the headlines.

Oct 24, 2024 | countercurrents.org | Oliver Villar |Stepanyan Arayik Oganesovich |Feroze Mithiborwala |M K Bhadrakumar

President Xi Jinping is visiting Kazan, Russia between 22-24 October to attend the annual BRICS ‘plus’ summit, a grouping of emerging economies founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009. In 2023, the conference was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, which joined in 2010. These summits, and other Global South initiatives, reflect a shift in the global political economy from the United States to the People’s Republic of China, and a transformation of the international ‘liberal’ order.

Oct 21, 2023 | mronline.org | Oliver Villar

“How long do we have to wait for change?” – Eastern Arrernte women, Ltyentye Apurte. “When will this nightmare end?” – A Palestinian boy in Gaza. Since Federation, referenda to change the constitution have rarely been successful. On Saturday 13th October 2023, 4 in 10 Australians voted ‘Yes’ to the Voice to Parliament Referendum, with 6 in 10 voting ‘No’. What was the referendum actually about, though?