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KOLKATA: A recall of having taken baby steps clutching the fingers of Mahatma Gandhi and then wedded to Marxism will either be a rollercoaster life story or one spent in ideological confusion. But brought up in Abhay Ashram, Sodpur in West Bengal which the prophet of non-violence considered to be his second home, veteran journalist and political activist Barun Dasgupta does not disappoint in his autobiography "Smiritir Sarani Beye”. He died in 2021 at the age of 86.

The 2024 G-20 Summit is taking place in Rio de Janeiro on November 18 and 19 in the background of two continuing wars in Ukraine and West Asia and the intensification of eco-political crisis in Europe. Moreover, the victory of Donald Trump in the November 5 presidential elections in USA has led to uncertainty over the future programmes of NATO and the relationship between USA and Europe.

Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna’s tenure has had an eventful start with the Supreme Court delivering the landmark ‘bulldozer justice’ verdict that grabbed global headlines. That the verdict was delivered by a bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and K V Vishwanathan, of which the chief justice was not a part, is a matter of detail. What is important is that the verdict promises to be one of the most attention-grabbing events of the new CJI’s time at the helm of the land’s highest court.

Centre is seriously working for Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) reform, which includes modernization of its database, centralization and other initiatives announced in the Union Budget 2024-25 to boost quality employment in the country through increased membership of EPFO.

KOLKATA: Foreign policy hawks who gleefully remind the world how the mightiest country in the world, the US considers fast progressing India as its strategic defence partner in the Indo-pacific region, may face an acid test soon. Belying their rhetoric, the apparent Washington-Delhi bonhomie was not potent enough to halt the US-led West from toppling the ruling India-friendly regime in Bangladesh, to give a recent example.

After the election of Donald Trump and the defeat of Kamala Harris, the owner of the Los Angeles Times is looking to balance opinion pieces in his newspaper. This, when the Washington Post and the New York Times, continue to go for Trump’s jugular, criticizing his every move, picking warts on his cabinet picks. Publications like the Los Angeles Times have seen the writing on the wall and are adapting. Wisdom does not come to everybody at the exact same time. At the end of the day, it is "business".

WASHINGTON DC: Will Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Republican president-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the giant Health and Human Services Department, be—in the words of the warning on cigarette packages—a hazard to your health? Off both his past stands against vaccines, against fluoridation of water, against the Food and Drug Administration, and more, the answer to that may well be “yes.”

Bitcoin has been rising over the past few weeks and it is currently trading at above $90,000. With the $92,000 level breached, Bitcoin seems headed for the $100K mark. Bitcoin has surged 36.33% in 1 month, over 20% in 7-day and 3.45% in 24 hours. In a year-long period, BTC has surged a whopping 147%. For the critics of Bitcoin, it's a challenging moment. However, this is historic for those who see BTC as the currency of the future. BTC is within striking distance of the $100K mark. The good news is that even other coins and tokens have seen a strong price rally.

Sri Lankan President Anura Dissanayake has led his leftist coalition of 21 parties National People’s Power (NPP) to power in the island nation with a massive victory in the elections to Parliament held on Sunday, November 14. With most of the ballots counted by Friday morning, the NPP was far ahead bagging 141 seats out of the total of 225 giving it a comfortable majority. The NPP got 62 per cent of the votes and was leading in all but one of the 22 electoral districts.

It’s a contradiction in terms. You are creating a new department or agency to study and carry out paring of the size of the government. That’s what the US president-elect, Donald Trump, is up to. And who is to co-lead it, none other than Elon Musk, the braze entrepreneur and richest man in the world. The other cheer leader for downsizing government is Vivek Ramaswamy.