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The interactions between humans and the environment yield numerous benefits and lead to both sustainable growth and development. However, overutilisation, exhaustion of resources and overpopulation has caused significant and constant deterioration in the quality of air. Almost every year, in the National Capital Region (India), the quality of air in the month of October and November is on high alert. The cause of this alarmingly high levels of air pollution are multiple and cannot be attributed to one single source.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan Niazi leans heavily on economics in the short run to get rid of or defer indefinitely the bailout package of the International Monetary Fund at least up to 15 January. Coined as ‘Iknomics’, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government lays stress on four directions to save the $313.13 billion economy: beefing up exports with termination of exchange rate control (by default or by design), improving remittances that in the short-run can yield $10 billion (50 per cent increase from the current level), enhanced investment and drastic reduction in money laundering, which is estimated at anywhere between $10 billion and $15 billion a year, thriving on from corruption, tax theft and other criminalities. Khan is in an experimental mood to avoid the IMF, whose conditionalities are generally crippling. He banks on Saudi Arabia, the UAE and China to ‘mitigate the tidal wave of a potential dollar denominated payments crisis’, inherited by the PTI government. Success in ridding of the Breton Woods twin will help Islamabad reap a diplomatic advantage out of a free-to-formulate fiscal management and culture.

International trade could well look radically different in 10 to 15 years if the world succeeds in creating an ecosystem conducive to the new technology that is now popularly known as Blockchain. It could make international trade smarter, but smart trade requires smart standardization, and smart standardization can only happen through cooperation of all the stakeholders. If the projects that are under development succeed, Blockchain could well become the future of trade infrastructure and the biggest disruptor to the shipping industry and to international trade since the invention of the container.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s voice is breaking. Too many election rallies, too much ‘Mitron…’ With polling underway in Madhya Pradesh and soon in Rajasthan, PM Modi couldn’t stop speaking and he was telling folks in Nagaur in Rajasthan how valuable their votes were. Rajasthan, they say, will be one of the Waterloos that will trounce BJP’s high hopes. Madhya Pradesh could be close but Rajasthan will show the gap.

They do duplicity as part of their job description. That’s what people have begun to believe of the police in strife-country Kerala. People can do nothing other than to resort to foul language, which comes easy to those who feel cheated and betrayed. The choice spectrum is limited. So, they stormed the border, what are you going to do? The change agent is not welcome because the change being pushed through is not welcome.

On October 13, 2018, the play “Shiva” — a performance on sexuality and gender, directed by artist Dayasindhu Sakrepatna — had to be shelved because right-wing elements from Bharata Punarutthana Trust, an affiliate of Vishwa Hindu Parishat, filed a complaint against Jagriti theatre, the institution hosting the play, as well as the individuals involved in it. In their letter to the DCP, Whitefield division, Bangalore, they claimed that Shiva was their devata (God) and this play hurt their religious sentiments.

Weekly Round-Up of Major Decisions of the Courts in India as also Legal Policy Developments

The story around Judge B.H. Loya’s death on 1st December, 2014, which was highly suspicious, refuses to die. After the Supreme Court refused order an independent investigation into the mysterious death of Judge Loya in April, 2018, the hope for the truth coming out was low. Now a new petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court by Advocate Satish Uke shockingly claiming that Judge Loya’s death was caused by radioactive isotope poisoning. He has also claimed that there are serious threats to his life, as two attempts had already been made in 2016 and on 31st July, 2018.

The hurried dissolution of Jammu & Kashmir assembly, already in suspension since June this year when the BJP walked out of the Mehbooba Mufti led PDP–BJP coalition government, by Governor Satyapal Malik has once again shown that New Delhi is not identical with the ground realities of the state. No doubt, this decision was taken by the governor at the behest of the Centre.

BHOPAL: As voters head for the booths on November 28, both the BJP and Congress can have the satisfaction of having fought the battle with all their might. In the overall assessment, however, BJP appeared to be far ahead of Congress both in resources and getting their all India leaders to lend their weight to the campaign. By undertaking whirlwind tours Shivraj Singh Chouhan proved that he has plenty of energy. Perhaps the BJP realised that it is better to seek votes in the name of Chouhan instead of the party and also in the name of Prime Minister Modi. The slogan ‘ghar ghar Modi’ is totally forgotten. Instead the party has coined the slogan ‘maaf karo maharaj hamara neta Shivraj’.