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BHOPAL: Eyebrows were raised when the Madhya Pradesh government decided to sanction pension to even such MISA detenus who were kept in prison for one day. The government also decided to relax the earlier condition that a person will be recognised as a MISA detenu only wenn the claim is endorsed by two such persons already getting MISA prisoner pension.

The BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi are determined to make Rahul Gandhi a leader by keeping the Congress Vice-President in focus. Credit also partly goes to government blunders that seem to have infused a new life in Rahul Gandhi’s otherwise not so impressive political career.

Critical to any business is stability especially in prices to enable easy planning and execution. When there is volatility in the rupee exchange rate, exporters or importers usually demand stability in exchange rate even if there is sharp depreciation. It is no different when it comes to oil prices in the country as volatile prices hurt not only industry but also agriculture as every activity is dependent on oil.

Benefits of cow urine for human consumption have been propagated since long but the propaganda has increased manifold in the last three years since the present government came to power. Any item to be consumed by us must be proven for its usefulness and harmlessness; more so for products labeled to be for medicinal use.

Germany is heading for general elections on September 24 this year amidst turmoil in Europe and the European Union following the Britain’s decision to leave EU and the increasing activities of the rightist nationalist elements in different countries of Europe. The present Chancellor Angela Merkel belonging to the Conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) took office in 2005 and if her party wins the elections this month, she will be the Chancellor of Germany for the fourth time. Latest poll trends indicate that she has a comfortable lead over her main rival Martin Schulz of the SPD and there is not much possibility of the SPD candidate’s fortunes changing much in the next few days of the campaign. Schulz began his campaign in February with big hopes but the confused policies of the SPD regarding the economic policies and immigration hit adversely his campaign prospects in the midway and at the fag end of the electoral battle, the SPD seems to give all the impression of a loser.

It is now official - the call given by RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat for amending the Indian Constitution to make it reflect "Indian" values. But Mr Bhagwat leaves no one in doubt that Hinduism being "the only true religion" in the world, our constitution and legal system should be aligned to its (Hindu) ethos, whatever it could mean for secularism or inclusiveness.

It is an irony that chief minister Nitish Kumar, whose political USP has been his claim of zero tolerance towards corruption and corrupt people, has been caught in the wrong company. What has been most scandalous is that an NGO, usually reviled by him for being the instrument for minting money, has been the public face of the biggest scam in Bihar. For the past six years most of the NGOs have had to suffer financial crunch ‘bure din’ as he had stopped the government grant to them on the plea that since the state has progressed and achieved extraordinary GDP growth, it has no place for NGOs and their activists.

After winning the bullet train battle in Indonesia, China has become suspicious of Japan in terms of the development of African economy. It suspects that the real aim of Indo-Japan joint partnership for Asia-Africa –Growth Corridor (AAGC) initiative to be an attempt for disruption of the Chinese Belt & Road initiative (B&R). Neither Japan nor India is a member of B&T. According to Chinese daily Global Times, “the two countries are trying to counterbalance the Belt & Road initiative with the AAGC plan”.

Early this month, Gen. Bipin Rawat, chief of the army, warned of the possibility of India having to fight a ‘two-front war’ with Pakistan and China simultaneously. He was speaking at a seminar of a defence think-tank – the Centre for Land Warfare Studies – in New Delhi. The possibility is, indeed, very real. In any future war with Pakistan, China may open a second front in the east, while China starting a local war (the face-off at Doklam might have led to one) is likely to tempt Pakistan into opening hostilities in the west. Keeping this possibility in mind, India’s defence forces have undertaken a number of short- and long-term measures.

Prominent senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead from a close range with seven bullets by a motor cycle borne assailants on September 5, 2017, was a fearless journalist, often raised voices of dissent against the establishment. She was killed outside her home in Bangaluru. She was an audacious critic of right-wing politics of Hindutva for its campaign of hatred, divisiveness, communal polarization, out to destroy the very idea of India, known for its time tested civilisational strength of unity in diversity, tolerance, non-violence, co-existence and plurality as provided for in the Constitution of India postulating Justice, Equality and Fraternity for all of its citizens, equally and alike. Right-wing Hindutva forces branded Gauri Lankesh as a “Hindu hater”.