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News Capsule for the Month of August 2026

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  The following are the top news stories for the month.   If you wish to follow and get notifications of future articles, you can sign up using the email on the left sidebar.  Kerala  Kochi Corporation ordered by HC to establish guidelines for footpath maintenance.  Kochi Metro registers record operating profit on higher ridership, non-fare revenue.  Wetland plots allotted to Vallarpadam project evictees to be made habitable.  Kerala rains: Seven dead as floods and landslides trigger statewide crisis.  Mammootty visits Cochin Haneefa's new home, stands in silent tribute before actor's portraits.  As Kerala battles floods, forest team risks lives to save trapped deer.  Plans afoot to lengthen all Ernakulam Junction railway station platforms.  Yellow alert in Delhi, Rains to continue in Kerala, schools closed in Dehradun. BMW, Harley-Davidson theft in Kerala takes dramatic twist as family refuses complaint. Kerala reservoirs reco...

Why did USSR collapse? How did the policies of the time contribute to its fall?

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The Cold War was seen as one of the most interesting and that is why Historians always keep talking about it as it formed the base for politics today. This short article will take you back forty years to examine the reasons for the fall of the USSR.  Wiki USSR was at its peak of power at the same time there was relative calm in the Cold War under the Carter Presidency. However, the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan was a big failure which militarily and economically weakened the Soviet Union. With the death of Brezhnev in 1982 , the crisis in the USSR grew both economically and politically . The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party couldn’t no longer exert power and control in the country. Laws during that period couldn’t bring the required reforms that could bring the country back alive. Mikhail Gorbachev took control of the Communist Party in 1985. He decided to restructure the Soviet’s economic and political policy through a policy decision called  Perestroika which means re...

Analysing the first 100 Days of the Trump Administration

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  Greetings to all listeners and readers!! The US Presidential election for this year is finally here. We at the Journal of Knowledge's series covering A to Z what you should know and stay aware of in a capsule format about the US elections. Just three weeks left for the election of the world's most powerful individual. Currently, we are making this episode covering the parties, issues, candidates and content from the ground.  Our Newscapsule Article of the Month  About The Guest Sreyas Sinha  is a journalist based in New York, he runs  Fifty50 /A Show About News, a digital media start-up making comedy news videos for Gen-Z. He also runs  Samosa Capital , a newsletter focused on Indian macroeconomics and finance.  Devyansh Dullar is an analyst for a US strategic risk advisory firm. His areas of focus are East Asia, South Asia, and Europe. He holds two master's degrees in international relations and enjoys predictive analysis and discussion on geopoliti...

News Capsule For The Month of April 2025

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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 sign up using the email on the left sidebar.  Article of the month Kerala  Kinfra to open a new water plant in Aluva. HC rejects to stay BJP leaders plea to stop screening L2Empuraan movie.  Vellapally Nadesan makes a controversial statement on Malappuram. Maharaja's students gatecrash Ernakulam Bar Association lawyers' gathering; 20 injured in scuffle. Woman held with ganja worth Rs 35.7 lakh at Kochi Airport. Private players knock on KMRL's door for feeder buses to Tripunithura.  Munambam people on protesters celebrate the Waqf Amendment Bill. They join BJP soon after that.  BJP central leaders visit Munambam promised action.  After Kiren Rijiju's remarks on the Waqf dispute in Kerala, have put it on the back foot.  Kerala orders feasibility study on reopening Old Aluva-Munnar Road through Pooyamkutty forest. Actor Shine Tom C...

Free-Trade is (not) just about economics

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The Trump Administration's new tariff policy has been in discussion for some time now. Starting from his campaign season, he has been harshly talking about imposing reciprocal tariffs with the US's major trading partners. Well, everything that Trump has been talking about tariffs only since last year, right? Not so. Trump made tariffs a central policy even in his 2016 election campaign, and the US entered a trade war with China, which lasted even during the Biden Administration. To our shock, Biden didn't remove most of the tariffs that were imposed by the Trump administration. In addition, Biden continued to keep them as well as continue to impose tariffs on aluminium, steel and 200% on Chinese EVs. Now, you can see there is a small affinity for tariffs not only in the US but around the world.  Let us not deny the fact that we are all beneficiaries of free trade. We are taught pure economics in school but not international political economy. Hence, our understanding of eco...

News Capsule For The Month of March 2025

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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 sign up using the email on the left sidebar.  Article of the month Kerala  Kerala state budget presented in the state assembly.  CPIM's state meeting ends in Kollam with a strict change of ideology.  An elephant goes on a rampage in a temple festival.  CASA says it will enter electoral politics in Kerala.  Six were arrested in an Aluva drug bust. Kochi Metro has yet to fix the Kaloor Stadium glitch. A Kerala cop was caught red-handed while taking a bribe for passport verification.  Rites Ltd emerges as the sole bidder for Phase III Kochi metro line.  Director of Empuraan film 📽 Prithviraj says he'll be making 17 voluntary edits to the film after the backlash.  BJP has nominated former minister and technocrat Rajeev Chandrashekhar for the post of State President ahead of local elections this year and State elect...