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Ranchi: Strong contender Germany Women's Hockey Team arrived here for the FIH Olympic Qualifiers hoping to secure a spot for the 2024 Paris Games.

As Bangladesh prepares for its 12th parliamentary polls on January 7, speculation abounds on the impact of the election outcome on Dhaka’s relationship with Delhi. From historic landmarks such as the 2015 land boundary agreement to lows during 2001-2006, when a coalition led by the current Opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was in office, India-Bangladesh relations have gone through periodical ups and downs. Bangladesh emerged as India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia crossing $15 billion in 2022 and is a major recipient of Indian foreign direct investment, exceeding $3.5 billion in 2021. The strengthening of economic ties highlights pragmatic considerations that go beyond political rhetoric and challenge simplistic binaries.

Something always is happening with West Bengal Governors. There was Jagdeep Dhankar who is now Vice President and whose mimicry by a Trinamool Congress leader has immortalized Dhankar whether he likes it or not. Now, there’s Governor CV Ananda Bose. And, by gosh, Ananda Bose can be as chillingly fiery like the Bose whose surname he sports. Governor Bose Friday gave a dressing down to — of all the VVIPs in Kolkata — Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and he continues to inhale and exhale.

The Enforcement Directorate’s report alleging police ‘failure’ to rescue its sleuths at Sarberia in North 24-Parganas, from the murderous attack of the angry mob on Friday morning and Governor C V Anand Bose’s threat – “I reserve all my constitutional options for appropriate action at appropriate moment”–are quite ominous and certainly do not resonate the real nature of the incident.

Every court judgment is supposed to be delivered without ‘fear or favour’ and ‘affection or ill-will’, but insights provided by Chief Justice of India Justice D Y Chandrachud on the Ayodhya Ram Mandir land judgment reveal how some of the disapproved tendencies did creep into the making of the final verdict. With the consecration of the Ram Temple only days away, every political party except the BJP is having to deal with the same dilemma.

The RSS leadership is happy that its electoral strategy has paid rich dividend in three states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in just concluded assembly elections Now the RSS chief is concentrating on Bihar, Bengal and Odisha taking in view the coming Lok Sabha polls. Apart it is the threat perception of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra that will traverse through 110 districts, about 100 Lok Sabha seats and 337 assembly segments, starting on January 14, that has compelled RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to knock at the doors of prominent personalities, intellectuals and academics in the three states.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister Y S Sharmila is not what her name suggests—shy, placid… She has been a rebel after a cause, and so has done what she had set out to do, become a part of the Congress—which was her father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s party—with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Gandhi family scion Rahul Gandhi welcoming her into the fold.

It is unfortunate that the climate change and global warming are not getting the attention it deserves. Global conferences set long term goals, which are too little too late. UN convention on climate change comes out with targets year after year and latest global conference, CoP28 held in December last has again come out with some targets to achieve near net zero emission of methane and drastic reduction in use of fossil fuel by 2050. All these are fine but the question is whether the world will be liveable by then in view of massive destruction floods and droughts cause to humanity. Is global administration really serious or is it that these conferences end up as mere talking shop.

BJP has just coined this attractive slogan to its gullible constituency – Teesri Baar Modi Sarkar, ab ki baar 400 paar. Some national and international political analysts are declaring “almost an inevitability” of PM Narendra Modi’s win for the third time, supporting the first part of the slogan, while PM Modi’s supporters are going with deafening assertion of the second part of the slogan, cleverly not mentioning that out of 437 seats BJP had contested, it had lost its deposit in as many as 51 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Thus, the second part of the slogan is just a far-fetched idea far away from the ground reality. As for the first part of the slogan, the term “almost” just veils the doubts in the very propaganda of “inevitability.”

At a time India is in advanced stage of negotiations with United Kingdom and European Union on free trade negotiations, there are warning bells to suggest trade diversions from China to India using FTAs with some of the countries.