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The next summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is scheduled at Tashkent in the middle of 2016 with India and Pakistan joining as full members of this emerging powerful regional grouping .India is now advantageously placed to pursue its programmes at both political and economic levels at the SCO forum which has got six members- China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, apart from the two new members India and Pakistan. The last summit at Ufa in Russian Federation in July this year set the stage for the entry of India and Pakistan to the SCO after a long wait as observers and 2016 summit opens up immense opportunities to India to expand its economic and trade relations with the four central Asian countries apart from Russia and China.

Over the past few months, there has been increased talk of dividing the state of Karnataka into two separate states. The division being talked about might result in two entities, the northern part of Karnataka and the southern part of Karnataka. Interestingly, all this talk is emanating from the sitting MLAs belonging to the two political parties that call themselves as 'national parties', the 'Indian national Congress' and the 'Bharatiya Janata Party'. Mr. Umesh Katti, sitting MLA from the BJP, and Mr. AS Patil Nadahalli, sitting MLA from the INC, are the two gentlemen who are at the forefront demanding separate statehood for the northern part of Karnataka.

LUCKNOW: All is not well in Samajwadi Party parivar and Akhilesh Yadav government which is now BEING reflected on public platforms.

BHOPAL: The reconstitution of the working committee of Madhya Pradesh Congress has given rise to the revolt like situation in the party. The dissident group claims that the formation of the committee has been done in the most arbitrary manner ignoring the claims of several factions of the state Congress.

This week’s Congress Working Committee resolution to continue its president Sonia Gandhi for at least another year has put an end to the speculation that had begun after Rahul Gandhi’s return from his sabbatical that he might take over the reins of the party. It also implies that the party has accepted the status quo as the best under the present circumstances and is willing to bet on Sonia rather than Rahul.

Amid a less than robust outlook for the economy in 2015 in a globally turbulent situation, the Modi Government's desperate moves to kick-start growth with public and private investments, and outshine China remain as yet a non-starter.

LONDON: The European countries are gradually veering round to the consensus that they should join hands to crush the Isil by taking part in military action in Syria. While the French President Francois Hollande has ordered preparations to begin for air strikes on Islamic State militants in Syria, George Osborne, the Chancellor, also said that the Syrian crisis needs to be dealt with 'at source' in Syria by taking on the 'evil' Assad regime and Isil. Hollande also said that France would start reconnaissance flights soon with a view to launching attacks, but ruled out sending troops on the ground.

The Indian taxpayer pays a huge amount every year for the country’s defence. In the current fiscal (2015-16), our defence spending has gone up by eleven per cent and risen to $40 billion though this is nothing compared to China’s massive defence spending of $131.57 billion or three times that of India. China’s military budget is the second highest in the world after the United States.

Protractedly sick and tired of unholy nexus among military power, feudal lords and corrupt politicians plus power-wielding bureaucrats with alien links, the common people in Pakistan realise bitterly that the ‘failed state’ can’t survive without a full-fledged parliamentary democracy and a vibrant civil society. This agonising but growing reality is inexplicably ignored by political analysts who are obsessed with issues like Kashmir dispute and Indo-Pak border disturbances, which have a partial link with international arms trade.

BHOPAL: Bhopal will be the host for the biggest international conference beginning from September 10. The conference is Vishwa Hindi Sammelan. It is for the first time that Bhopal will welcome about 2,000 foreign guests, who will be in the city for more than four days beginning from September 10.