In the heartland of Italy, under the shadow of the Tyrrhenian Sea, is the Agro-Pontino, a 100-mile stretch of fertile plains. It is an idyllic setting, abundant with verdant fields and panoramic landscapes, transformed into productive farmland from former marshland by Benito Mussolini’s directed mass migration in the early 20th century.

Today, the land bears witness to a darker narrative – the story of Italy’s Sikh slaves. An unexpected consequence of global economic interdependence and the unrelenting demand for cheap labor.

Balbir Singh, a migrant worker from Punjab, candidly shares his chilling tale. With the use of the Italian word ‘macello’, he tries to encapsulate the ordeal he endured – a term that roughly translates to ‘mess’. But ‘mess’ barely begins to illustrate the hellish six-year saga that Singh lived through in Latina, a rural region south of Rome and home to tens of thousands of Indian migrants.

“I was working 12-13 hours a day, including Sundays, with no holidays, no rest,” Singh confided. A wage of 100 to 150 euros a month, which roughly amounts to less than 50 cents an hour, was his only reward for the inhumane labor conditions. A stark contrast to the legal minimum wage of 10 euros an hour, illustrating the depth of exploitation these workers face.

Singh’s plight is not an isolated one. It is a grim fragment of a broader canvas painted with the abuse of migrant farmworkers, not only in Agro Pontino but across Italy. The situation is alarming enough to catch the attention of global institutions. As per the UN’s special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, in 2018, there were over 400,000 agricultural workers in Italy at risk of exploitation, with nearly 100,000 likely subjected to “inhumane conditions”.

The population of the Agro-Pontino, once primarily Italian, is now significantly Indian. Conservative estimates suggest there are at least 11,000, though the number could be quadruple that figure. These economic migrants, primarily Sikhs from Punjab in northern India, journey thousands of miles with the promise of better lives for themselves and their families. They arrive to till the land, nurturing Italy’s agricultural industry, and send remittances back home, often making significant sacrifices for the financial well-being of their families.

However, the promised land too often turns into a realm of broken dreams. Unscrupulous agri-businesses and organized crime syndicates exploit these workers mercilessly. They labor under abysmal conditions, paid meager wages, often without formal employment documentation, effectively reducing them to a status reminiscent of servitude. Their dreams of a better life crumble under the weight of abuse and exploitation, trapped within a system seemingly designed to suppress and oppress them.

Their predicament is compounded by the lack of official documentation, rendering them invisible in the eyes of the law and society. This lack of visibility provides a protective cloak for their exploiters, who thrive in an environment where accountability is the exception rather than the norm.

The sprawling plains of the Agro-Pontino, now a critical hub of Italy’s food production, are nourished by the sweat and tears of these invisible victims. This region, transformed by Mussolini from marshland to fertile farmland, is ironically mired in a new form of fascism – one perpetrated by modern agri-businesses and organized crime networks.

Investigating deeper into this unsettling reality reveals a grim contrast to the bucolic charm of the Italian countryside. The dreams and aspirations of these economic migrants are tethered to the land they cultivate, toiling in the fields that feed Italy and much of Europe.

The story of Italy’s Sikh slaves is one of extreme courage and endurance in the face of a brutal and unyielding system. Their presence and significant contributions to Italy’s agricultural sector are undeniable, yet they remain unseen, unheard, and unacknowledged. In a globalized world increasingly conscious about fair trade, sustainable practices, and social equity, their plight cannot and should not be ignored. It’s time for the international community to act, shedding light on this hidden crisis, and working towards fair and humane labor practices in Italy and across the globe.

It is almost impossible to define  India's relationship with the US. India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the same at an event for Indians living in the United States.

He also said that these two countries now see each other as 'favorable, best, pleasant partners'.

Jaishankar said at the program of expatriate Indians in Washington, "I am often asked that where the relationship between these two countries is going?" It is difficult for me to define the limits of this relationship or express expectations about it because, this relationship exceeded all expectations in all aspects. That is why today I do not try to define the relationship between the two countries. We are gradually increasing the level of this relationship.

According to NDTV, Jaishankar held a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, administration officials and industrialists this week.

In this context, he said, 'India and the United States need to work together. It is important for Washington to have a relationship with those who speak well and think well about the United States.

According to him, we are looking for new fields. The more we do this together, the more successful we will be. Like ISRO's Chandrayaan, India-US relations have reached new heights.'

A few days ago, the G-20 summit was completed in New Delhi. The US also helped make the conference a success.

Jaishankar said this in a program organized at the Indian Embassy in Washington. He said that the help that the United States has given to make this conference a success should be said in front of everyone.

Jaishankar also rejected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations while sitting in the United States.

Trudeau alleged that Indian agents were behind the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. In this context, Jaishankar said, "This is not India's policy."

New Delhi has suspended visa services for Canadian citizens amid India-Canada diplomatic standoff. Jaishankar also opened up about it in Washington.

He said, 'There was an obligation. Misinformation was being spread about our diplomats, embassies. How will they go to the office to issue visas? It is a question of law and order. The question of the Vienna Convention. According to the Vienna agreement, we have to provide security to our diplomats and embassies. 

In conversation with Hudson Distinguished Fellow Walter Russell Mead, Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar highlighted resilient supply chains, digital trust and transparency, and the prevention of production monopolies as key priorities for the United States–India relationship.

Important quotes from the event are below.

1. There is significant untapped potential in the India-US relationship. India and the United States have never really worked together. That is a very thoughtful observation because dealing with each other is not the same as working with each other. And in the past, both have always dealt with each other, sometimes not entirely happily. But working with each other is really uncharted territory. It is a territory which two countries have both entered in the last few years.

2. The US and India are both invested in the rules-based international order. Both India and the U.S.A. want to see a certain stability and a certain set of rules and a certain, distribution of power, which is advantageous to both. And mutual interests are not clashing in that respect. So at the biggest picture level, there's a very powerful case really for India and the US to work together.

3. For the future of technology manufacturing, the US needs partners, and India needs opportunities. Information-embedded economy has created a very powerful new convergence between India-U.S.A. because, at a global level, the United States will need partners. India will need opportunities and possibilities. So American priorities like iCET [the Initiative for Critical Emerging Technologies], the IRA [Inflation Reduction Act], and the Chips Act, these are all factors which will create a stronger sort of bonding.

India's Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the South Pole of the Moon for the first time in its history on August 23 evening. But, the Chinese scientist Wang Xiaoyuan made an explosive comment on such information. He claimed that India's Chandrayaan-3 did not land on the moon. His comments caused uproar. Criticism and controversy have started.

The country's scientist Wang Xiaoyuan gave this information in an interview with the Chinese language newspaper Science Times. The Indian magazine Business Today gave such news citing Science Times.

Wang Xiaoyuan said the place where the rover landed was at 69 degrees south latitude, not near the South Pole. The South Pole is defined between 88.5 degrees and 90 degrees.

In that interview, he also said that the landing site of Chandrayaan-3 is not at the south pole of the moon and it is not near the south pole of the moon. The information about Moon landing at the South Pole is incorrect, as the distance from the Chandrayaan-3 landing site to the Moon's South Pole region is 619 km.

Xiaoyuan is not the first Chinese scientist to question Chandrayaan-3's achievements.

Earlier, Beijing-based space expert Pang Zhihao told state media Global Times that China is far more advanced in many fields. Since the launch of Chang-2 in 2010, China has been able to send orbiters and landers directly into Earth-Moon transition orbits.

Pang Zhihao also said that the engine used by China is also very advanced. India's lander Pragyan has a lifespan of one lunar day and cannot withstand lunar nights, but China's nuclear-powered UTU-2 rover holds the record for longest operation on the lunar surface.

We all know that 24 hours day and night. After the tiredness of the whole day, we sleep at night, waiting for a new dawn. But think once, where the sun does not set, how will the new dawn come? Or where there is no night, when the people will sleep to remove the tiredness of the day? Do you think there is a place? Not unreal, there are places on earth where the sun never sets. After a long sleep where people do not see the dawn.

In today's discussion, we will know some places in the world, where the sun does not set even at night!

Norway: Norway is called the land of the shining sun. The country's geographical location makes it different from other countries in the world. From May until the end of July, the sun does not set in the Norwegian sky. As a result, Norwegian people do not see the night for two and a half months! Another specialty of the country is that the sun can be seen on the horizon even at night from the port of Hammerfest, Norway, as it is located in the Arctic region.

Nunavut, Canada: The Canadian territory of Nunavut is located 2 degrees above the Arctic Circle. The sun does not set here for about two months of the year. Not only that, the sun cannot be seen for 30 consecutive days in this place during winter. That is, the people here live under the shadow of the sun for two months on the one hand, in the same way they have to live in a long night for a month.

Iceland: Iceland is famous for its absence of snakes and mosquitoes. After Great Britain, Iceland is the largest island in Europe. The sun can be seen in this island even at night in June.

Barrow, Alaska: The sun is visible in the night sky from late May to late July (summer) in this area of Alaska. There is the reverse side of the coin! Not only does the sun never set, there are continuous nights here from early November to early December. That's why this place is also known as 'Polar Nights'.

Finland: Finland is called the land of thousand lakes and islands. The sun does not set for 73 consecutive days during summer in this European country. Similarly, the sun does not appear here for 32 consecutive days in winter. Because of this strange natural disparity, most people in that country believe that people sleep more in winter and less in summer.

Sweden: We all know that 365 days make up a year. But Sweden's year ends in one day! Because half of the year is day here, the other half is night. Even pulled again! So taking the day and night as the sun, it can be said that the year in Sweden is spent in one day! And people here spend half of the year in the dark and the other half in the light.