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Indian economy, said to be in “nascent recovery” at present, is headed for another tough fiscal year (2018-19) both from a likely budget-fuelled inflationary surge within, and from global rate rises across booming economies, like USA, which could even lead to some outflows of foreign capital invested in developing economies.

South African presidency spokesman Bongani Ngqulunga was aghast on Tuesday at Communist Party (SACP) demands that President Jacob Zuma confirm or deny plans to sack his deputy Cyril Ramaphosa and replace him with Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. “The allegations reported in the media that President Jacob Zuma wishes to fire Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and replace him with Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma are preposterous and outrageous,” said Ngqulunga. “The allegations of ethnic mobilisation by the president are equally without merit,” he added for good measure.

There are a lot of folks – including veterans – raining on Donald Trump’s triumphal military parade plan.

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, “it means what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.” – Lewis Carroll

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not Humpty Dumpty and even if we all have the brains to make out what he chose to mean with “takes me back to Ramayana serial days”, it wouldn’t be right for anyone to read his mind without him telling us, “Yes, that is right, that is what I meant.”

Maldives, a small island nation in the Indian Ocean south-west of Sri Lanka, with an area of 300 sq, kms a population of 4.5 lakh, is now in the grip of a political crisis that has international implications. Maldives has seen many political crises in the past. In November, 1988, armed mercenaries from Sri Lanka tried to capture power. Maumoon Abdulla Gayoom, who was the President of Maldives, sought India’s military assistance and the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi readily responded. ‘Operation Cactus’ was launched. Paratroopers were airdropped on capital Male and the mercenaries surrendered in no time.

There is an uneasy calm in Kasganj. It was not a coincidence that this town in Uttar Pradesh witnessed an unprecedented communal riot on January 26, Republic Day. Since then its bustling markets have gone silent, remained shut. The largely Hindu-dominated trade lies crippled. But it was the large Muslim shops that were looted and burnt.

Please, please, please don’t call Taj Mahal by any other name. The ‘Taj’ is not ‘Rose’ that by any other name will still be ‘Rose’. And ‘Tej’ for ‘Taj’ is so unimaginative a suggestion that it will become a blot on the face of Earth faster than you can say ‘Tej!’ The Taj Mahal is a monument to ‘love’ from a devoted husband to a beloved wife. And it draws the breath with a ‘Wah Taj!’

UAE foreign minister Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash declared at the recent 4th Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate that the country cannot live under the shadow of “Iran’s threat”. India needs to be equally concerned about the violent developments in the backdoor of the GCC.

The word ‘compulsory’ doesn’t walk the JNU campus, where a diktat to make attendance compulsory is being fought tooth and nail by students and teachers, both like disciplined soldiers. Yeah, the only thing compulsory about JNU scholars and researchers is ‘compulsive-impulsive’. The irony is Indian Army officers, tied to military traditions, punished if they break rules and regulations, are also awarded degree certificates bearing the JNU watermark.

If the by-poll results from Rajasthan have been a warning for the BJP, the message of it replacing the CPI(M) as the main opposition party in West Bengal sounded the death knell for the Marxists. This certainly is a bad omen particularly for Prakash Karat and also for the secular forces in the country.