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In response to Israel’s genocidal siege of Gaza, a new progressive effort, the “Reject AIPAC” coalition, is calling on federal candidates to refuse endorsements and contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), whose vast political operation has spent millions trying to crush left-leaning Democrats who criticize Israel. At the same time, the labour movement, including a burgeoning network of over two hundred unions and worker organizations, has raised calls for an immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza.

Growing cyber gaming frauds have prompted cyber wing of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to advise people to exercise caution when engaging in online gaming. The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (14C) of the MHA’s cautionary message says, “Play Smart, Play Safe, Stay Secure while gaming online”. The 14C wing has urged the people to download online apps only from authentic sources like Google Play Store, Apple Store and Official Websites. The 14C’s advice exhorts the people to “always check game app publishers to ensure website legitimacy. The warning calls upon the people to never fall in the trap of game in-app purchases and lucrative subscription offers.

Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh is the winner from Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency, putting the central government in a fix. The government appears undecided on what should be done with him. Speculation is rife over whether he would be released on interim bail from Dibrugarh Central jail in Assam, where he is being held, or other measures are under consideration.

The Centre has authorized the release of tax devolution of Rs 1,39,750 crore to states for June, and has tried to appear as if doing a great favour via a statement of the Union Ministry of Finance stating that this would "enable state governments to accelerate development and capital spending." The reality is that with this fresh release, the total amount devolved for the financial year 2024-25 to states, till June 10, 2024, stands at only Rs 2,79,500 crore, as against the provision of Rs 12,19,783 crore as per the interim budget 2024-25. The devolution is obviously much slower for fast development and for meeting critical expenditure.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said that the NDA's return to power after a decade in office was a testimony to the good things that happened on its watch. This is beyond comprehension. How could he claim that the NDA governed the country? Nothing could be more bizarre. The people of India know that neither the BJP, nor the NDA, ruled the country. India was ruled by Narendra Modi as he would regularly boast that “this is the government of Modi; this is the word of Modi and this is the guarantee of Modi.”

One of the first tasks of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on assuming office for the third consecutive occasion was to sign a file awarding the 17th instalment of the Kisan Samman Nidhi. The act assumes significance as the BJP-led NDA government had been on an almost collision course with farmers who had laid a virtual siege to the National Capital with their tractors protesting against the three farm laws.

Narendra Damodardas Modi became the Prime Minister of India for the third term day before yesterday, and equalled Jawaharlal Nehru's tenure, statistically. However, did he earn the respect of the citizens of India that was equivalent to what Nehru had earned?

Massive street protests erupted worldwide after the Israeli military killed 274 Palestinians in the Nuseirat refugee camp as part of a “hostage rescue operation” in Gaza. Four Israeli captives taken prisoner by Hamas on Oct. 7 were recovered in the manoeuvre, amounting to 68 people killed for every individual extracted. The mass killing pushes the Gaza war death toll, already at over 36,000, even higher.

Would Giorgia Meloni prefer to partner with the “mainstream pro-European” Emmanuel Macron, or else the “far-right outsider” Marine Le Pen? Ahead of this weekend’s elections to the European Union’s parliament, much punditry on the EU’s future speculated on the next moves by the Italian prime minister — deemed a potential “kingmaker” in Brussels coalition-building or else a partner in a new nationalist international. Rival far-right candidates accused Meloni of sucking up to the French president (and to the EU’s top official, Ursula von der Leyen); some more proudly Europeanist commentators hoped Macron and Meloni could “join forces to save Europe.” But now, with Macron calling snap elections that could easily vault Le Pen’s party into the national government, perhaps Meloni won’t have to choose one over the other after all.

Narendra Modi is now Prime Minister of India for the third time. He took the oath of office Sunday evening at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. As many as 30 cabinet ministers, 36 ministers of state (MoS) and 5 MoS (independent charge) were also sworn in along with Narendra Modi, who seemed unusually accommodating while choosing his Council of Ministers. Among them are old suspects like Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S. Jaishankar, Piyush Goyal and Nirmala Sitharaman. Key BJP allies Janata Dal-United and the Telugu Desam Party also got representation in Modi’s Council of Ministers.