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The cowardly assassination of two functionaries of the Awami National Party in Peshawar in a suicide attack just a fortnight before the national elections, including Haroon Bilour, one of the top leaders of ANP, spreads a darkening canopy over Pakistan’s polity. The three embraced martyrdom in their struggle against terrorists and feudal-military interests that are committed against the gradual opening up of a transparent parliamentary democracy. The tragic incident that killed at least 19 and injured 65 – mostly in their twenties and one aged 12 - happened at Qissa Khwani when Bilour and others were proceeding towards the venue of an election meeting. He filed his nomination as a candidate from Qissa Khwani that includes the blood-stained ground. His father, Bashir Ahmad Bilour, a former senior minister and ANP leader, embraced martyrdom similarly in December 2012. Haroon was contesting from the very constituency on which his father ran for the party. According to eyewitnesses, Haroon, the keynote speaker, received a warm welcome by ANP supporters with fireworks on his arrival at the venue.

The day of reckoning is here and the economic miracle that China has been for over three decades is all set to unravel. United States has joined battle with China, and it now appears, with no holds barred. Notwithstanding being the second largest economy in the world after US, China is vulnerable in this struggle as it has developed an artificial bubble economy as a creeper on the US tree. An economic storm can now tear the creeper away from the tree and lead to its eventual withering.

The thief who has no opportunity to steal considers himself an honest man! The LGBT who no longer has to reckon with Section 377 will consider it legitimate to make eyes at strangers on the road, in the metro, at malls, parks, temples and places everywhere else where men and women gather, and are squeezed into tight spaces.

Blasting his consistent record against workers’ rights to unionize and women’s rights to reproductive choice, progressive groups swung into action against President Donald Trump’s nomination of federal appellate judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court literally minutes after Trump’s nod on July 9.

Prime Minister Narendra Mod’s aim to achieve a double-digit growth is far-fetched, given the current state of Indian as well as global economy. The U.S-China war has made global situation worse, making high Indian economic growth virtually impossible.

Boris Johnson’s resignation as the foreign secretary simply points to the fact that Britain will have its general election soon, in all probability well before the final implementation of Brexit, and this would be a sort of fresh referendum on the future of the Brexit and also the procedure adopted by the British government to see it in vogue.

Although Jayant Sinha has been upbraided by his father, Yashwant Sinha, for garlanding a lynch brigade, the Union minister deserves a mild round of applause for revealing the BJP’s real face.

Naming a place Nala Sopara and, then, asking, “Why has Nala Sopara turned into an overflowing gutter?” defeats the purpose of the moniker. “It’s raining cats and dogs in Chembur,” says the reporter, holding on to an umbrella to keep his head dry as swift-flowing rainwater swirls past his not visible feet. Any moment he could step into a pothole and that will be a ‘stumble’ caught on TV!

Last week, Sri Lanka finally agreed to let India operate the Mattala airport situated about 40 kms north-east of the Hambantota seaport that China has built in the southern tip of the island nation. China has acquired 60 per cent stake in the project as Sri Lanka was unable to repay the debt to the Chinese company that built it.

The last Monsoon session of the current Parliament is scheduled to begin from July 18 and last till August 10. Already there are speculations that this too will be a wash out session as in the past as the Parliament has not been functioning, as it should in the past two decades and more. For instance, this year’s budget session was the least productive since 2000 according to the PRS Legislative research, a Delhi-based think tank. The entire annual budget of over 24 lakh cores was guillotined and even the Finance Bill 2018 was passed without discussion. The Speaker did not allow the opposition sponsored No-Confidence motion against the Modi government citing disruptions in the house. Incidentally, itcosts about Rs. 2.5 lakh per minute to conduct a Parliament session, which makes the loss incurred for every wasted hour Rs 1.5 crore.