RSS English World News -- News, Analysis and Reflections

Collateral Damage at the Chokepoint: The Forgotten Indian Sailors of the Hormuz War While Washington and Tehran trade triumphant headlines about "great settlements" and a looming 60-day truce, the families of three Indian merchant mariners are mourning a devastating reality. For them, the diplomatic posturing came too late.   The tragic deaths of three Indian sailors on the Palau-flagged oil tanker M/T Settebello—killed during a U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) strike aimed at enforcing its naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz—highlights a brutal truth: in the high-stakes shadow war between global superpowers, it is innocent civilian seafarers who pay the ultimate price.   The Cost of the Chokehold The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most critical maritime artery, responsible for the transit of one-fifth of global oil consumption. For months, the war has choked this vital passage, sending global energy prices soaring and disrupting supply chains.   In a bid...

  Advocates and Lawmakers  Push for Landmark  Anti-Caste Legislation in New York ALBANY, NY — Advocacy groups and state legislators are intensifying their push for a historic bill that would make New York the first state in the nation to explicitly ban caste discrimination. The proposed legislation, currently moving through the state capital as of May 2026, aims to close a legal loophole that advocates say leaves thousands of South Asian and other caste-oppressed New Yorkers vulnerable to bias in the workplace and housing. The Legislation The twin bills—Assembly Bill A6920, sponsored by Assemblymember Steven Raga, and Senate Bill S6531, sponsored by Senator James Sanders Jr.—would amend the New York State Executive Law. The change would add "caste" to the list of protected classes alongside race, creed, color, and national origin. Under the bill’s definition, caste is described as a "graded social hierarchical structure" that assigns status and privileges based on b...