The Problems with Westphalian Nation-State System

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We all associate ourselves with various identities such as Indians, Chinese, Pakistani, Americans, Canadians, French, British and much more. Why do you think we all associate with all these more? Are there any other identities which people associate with?  The identities which I mentioned before are relatively new compared to other identities such as religion, language, caste, and various other identities. It is not to say that people never had such feelings towards nations or the state. But the idea of loyalty and love for the motherland was very important which offset various other identities. The question we are arriving at is what is the motherland, who made and how it formed.  What we refer to today as a Nation or Country refers to what we know in political science as a Nation-State. Today almost all the countries we know are categorised Nation-States and some even as State-Nations. International Relations and Political Science suggest that states are the most important a...
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Newscapsule for the Month of April 2022

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Following are the top news for the month.  If you wish to follow and get notifications of future articles, you can signup using the email on the left sidebar. 



Kerala 

  • Ramzan fast begins in the state
  • Kerala temple bars dancers due to religion
  • The luxury bus fleet of KSRTC-KSwift flagged off from Trivandrum 
  • Krail dialogue held with critics. 
  • The state said that it will not reduce VAT on Petrol 
  • Kerala PSU's made a profit last year
  • Kerosene to cost Rs 81 per litre, centre cuts supply to Kerala
  • Police and fire force banned from giving rescue and safety training to religious organisations. 
  • Heavy rains were reported in Kerala. 
  • Prof K V Thomas defies AICC and attends CPIM National Congress. 
  • Strike against KSEB CMD: Officers' Association president suspended for violating the ban on agitation. 
  • Six-laning of Kozhikode’s Ramanattukara-Azhiyur has received sanction. 
  • Five more terminals for Kochi Water Metro are to be completed by June.
  • Rules must be followed when using elephants for temple processions, says Kerala HC.
  • German envoy inspects Kochi’s sustainable mobility initiatives.
  • CPIM leader MC Josephine Passed away. 
  • SDPI and RSS leaders were assassinated in a political feud in Palakkad. Prohibitory orders were imposed in the district. 
  • 134 govt employees caught accepting bribes in six years. 
  • HC declines to intervene in the most recent interfaith marriage case. 
  • HC restrains Reporter TV from reporting on Dileep’s brother-in-law.
  • Kochi is likely to host the G20 summit. 
  • Kerala to have 15 minutes of power cut in rural areas later revoked. 
  • Transport fees hiked for auto, buses and taxis in the state. 
  • PC George makes a communally charged remark. 
India 


  • PM Modi raises support for the LGBTQ+ cause on World Trans Day.
  • Petrol and diesel prices skyrocket in the state. 
  • Clashes occur in Rajasthan's Karauli.
  • 5 held for attack on vendor amid furore over the sale of halal meat in Karnataka.
  • Opp parties come together as Stalin inaugurates the party office in the capital Delhi.
  • Karnataka Enforces Mandatory 'Stunning' Or 'Jhatka' Of Animals Before Slaughter.
  • Lok Sabha passes Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill by voice vote.
  • Two B'luru schools get bomb threats, premises vacated
  • Teachers wearing hijabs cannot do board exam duty, says the Karnataka govt.
  • Jagan Reddy doubles the number of districts in the state of Andhra Pradesh. 
  • CPIM national Congress held in Kannur
  • South Delhi Municipal corporation bans meat sale on Navrati day. 
  • Precaution Dose Now Available for 18+ Group at Private Vaccination Centres, Jabs to Begin from April 10
  • After hijab, halal, and mangoes are part of communal tension in Karnataka.
  • Entire Andhra Cabinet Resigns As Chief Minister Jagan Reddy Revamps Team.
  • As communal tensions rise in Karnataka, IT firms ‘reach out’ to investment-seeking Tamil Nadu.
  • MK Stalin appears as a guest for CPIM national seminar. 
  • Violence in JNU After Row Between Student Groups Over Non-Veg Food; Several Hurt.
  • CPIM plans to revive its plan in the country, especially in Bengal and Tripura. 
  • North Indian states see violence on Ram Navami. 
  • India holds 2+2 talks with the USA. 
  • The building that honours all PMs was inaugurated by PM Modi. 
  • BJP loses massively in the by-polls. 
  • Minister KS Eshwarappa resigns after the death of the contractor. 
  • Incidents of violence in Jahangirpuri open up debate. 
  • VHP, Bajrang Dal members booked for taking out a rally without permission. 
  • JCB-Bulldozer used against illegal constructions in Jahangirpuri of Delhi; SC intervenes and stops it after outrage.
  • Communal violence takes place in Hubli. 
  • Karnataka Cabinet terminates the Ejipura flyover contract.
  • Gautam Adani Hosts Boris Johnson, First UK PM To Visit Gujarat.
  • Civil Services Day 2022: PM Modi confers ‘Award for Excellence in Public Administration.
  • The new vessel 'Urja Pravaha' was inducted into the Indian Coast Guard.
  • UGC bans Indians from joining universities in Pakistan. 
  • Bihar CM Nitish Kumar attends the opposition's Ifthar party. 
  • CBSE drops chapters on Islamic empires, and the Cold War from the syllabus; verses of Faiz are also excluded.
  • Trolled on Twitter, Army deletes tweet on Iftaar gathering in J&K’s Doda.
  • India suspends tourist visas to Chinese tourists. 
  • Prashant Kishor declines Congress' offer to join the party. 
  • Protests In Banaras Hindu University Over Iftar.
  • Govt reinstates Shah Faesal in service 3 years after he resigned.
  • States in India face a power crisis due to a coal shortage. 
  • Various Indian states receive rainfall during the hottest summer. 
  • Prashant Kishor won't join Congress. 

World/International


  • Russia bans Euro or Dollar payments for Oil and insists on payments in Ruble. 
  • Pakistan Army chief Bajwa says all disputes with India should be settled peacefully through dialogue
  • Sri Lanka faces a massive economic crisis and high inflation.
  • India starts supplying rice to Sri Lanka as the first major food aid. 
  • Pak PM Imran Khan loses the trust vote and is forced to resign. 
  • Former Punjab CM Shehbaz Sharif takes charge. 
  • Sacramento shooting: At least six dead in the centre of California state capital.
  • On the streets of Sri Lanka, opposition MPs & public defy curfew to protest against the Rajapaksa govt 
  • WHO suspends the supply of Covaxin, Bharat Biotech issues clarification.
  • Future-Amazon deal feud reaches Singapore arbitration court.  
  • US Senate voted 100-0 to ban Russia's trade status in the USA. 
  • Senate confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the first Black woman to sit on Supreme Court.
  • Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed was sentenced to 32 years in jail by a Pakistani court.
  • Will Smith was banned from the Oscars for 10 years over slap.
  • Taliban shoots down Pakistan helicopter. 
  • Macron wins the second term in office in the French elections. The first president to be re-elected after 20 years and the fourth in history to be so. 
  • Macron welcomed with tomatoes after his victory. 
  • Imran Khan Supporters Stage Protest Across Pakistan Against His Ouster.
  • Two Sikh men were assaulted in New York City. 
  • China shuts down the city of Shanghai due to COVID. 
  • Pakistan airstrikes in Afghanistan's Khost, Kunar provinces, at least 30 killed.
  • UK PM Boris Johnson visits India and talks about FTA. 
  • Easter and Ramzan fast observed across the world. 
  • Bilawal Bhutto is now the Foreign Minister of Pakistan; more women are represented in the cabinet. 
  • Swedish riots gather a lot of violence as clashes between religious extremists of Islam and Christianity over the burning of the Quran. 
  • Clashes took place in Dhaka college. 

Ukraine-Russia War Continued (READ FULL here)

  • Over 30 were killed, and 100 were wounded in the Russian rocket strike at a railway station.
  • Bucha killings and burial receives massive international condemnation
  • Biden calls Putin a War Criminal. 
  • Russia pulls out from Chornobyl. 
  • Boris Johnson visits Kyiv. 
  • Russia bans Boris Johnson from the country over the Ukraine war.
  • The battle is now restricted to Donbas Region. 
  • The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Zelensky and other officials in Kyiv at a secret meeting. 
  • Explosions were heard in Kyiv after the UN envoy met Zelensky. 
  • Mariupol falls but the battle at the steel plant continues. 
  • Russia cuts off oil and gas to Poland and Romania. 
  • Explosions in Kyiv after UN chief meeting Zelensky. 
  • US Speaker of House Nancy Pelosi visits Zelensky. 
  • US proposes $33 B aid, but approval pending from Congress. 
Technology 


  • First Audio Recorded On Mars Reveals Two Speeds Of Sound.
  • Amazon Pay is working with NPCI to further simplify the UPI experience.
  • UPI payments are to be available in UAE as well. 
  • Infosys to close Russia operations.  
  • Executives At Trump’s Truth Social Reportedly Quit As Company’s SPAC Stock Drop. 
  • Only Fans reverses its ban on explicit content. 
  • US military confirms an interstellar meteor collided with Earth
  • Elon Musk buys Twitter. 
  • K-SWIFT touches record profit in 10 days. 
  • Indians can now make payments using UPI in UAE.
  • US Navy shoots down a drone using a laser in a first. 
Business and Finance


  • Future-Amazon deal feud reaches Singapore arbitration court.  
  • Eating out to become costlier in Bengaluru as hotel association hikes prices
  • Eight Malayalis are among the Forbes list of wealthiest billionaires; Yusuff Ali tops with $5.4 billion.
  • Infosys' Narayana Murthy's Daughter Akshata Richer Than Queen Of Britain: Report
  • Huawei joins the blockade of Russia. 
  • Coins worth Rs 11 crore missing from SBI vaults; CBI takes over the investigation.
  • This measure of German inflation just hit its highest level since 1949.
  • Nestle products to get costlier. 
  • The head of Russia's second-biggest oil company has quit.
  • Mahindra to supply electric autos. 

Sports 



  • Real Madrid wins La Liga for the year 2022
  • IPL 2022 continues 
  • Kerala marches ahead in Santhosh Trophy final
  • RF developmental league begins

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